Lead Me Into Darkness
by Shadowplay27
Summary: Erica Ravencroft is a young woman who becomes the assistant to John Harrison as he designs new weapons. When her father is murdered by someone within Starfleet she vows revenge and only Harrison can help her, but she must assist him once more in his own plot for revenge. Will she get more than she bargained for? John Harrison/Khan/OC
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first Star Trek fan fiction, I hope you will all enjoy it! I do not own anything, except Erica Ravencroft is my own character._

* * *

The overcast skies appeared very threatening during the dawning of a new day. Storms had been forecasted and at any moment they might unleash their fury upon the world below. Erica Ravencroft loved days like this, thunderstorms to her were fascinating and thrilling. The wind picked up a little, forcing her to close pull her black jacket closed a little more. Her senses were heightened, that smell of the coming rain invaded her nose. She would love to watch the storm roll in, but that particular day she was going to be far too busy to focus on the weather. Walking side by side with her father, Captain Robert Ravencroft, she would be starting a brand new assignment waiting for her at Starfleet. Thunderstorms might make some people incredibly nervous, but the thought of what waited for her inside made her far more nervous.

With her free hand she pushed a few stray brunette bangs out of her eyes which the wind had blown into her vision. Her heart pounded a little as they approached the building, knowing that her new assignment would begin but there were so many unknowns left for her that she felt anxious. Her father glanced over at her, reading the concern in her features.

Robert smiled. "Now Erica, you're not worried about your new assignment are you?"

She looked over at her father, "No. Well...maybe a little."

He laughed a little. "My daughter, nervous? Erica you are one of the top weapons specialists in Starfleet, not to mention one of the youngest ones. You have a vast knowledge of weapons and you're an incredible marksman. This assignment is perfect for you, you get to work on designing brand new weapons. I thought you would welcome this opportunity with far more enthusiasm."

Erica sighed. "That's not what has me nervous, Father. It's the man I will be working with who has me nervous."

"Erica you have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you will impress him with your work and your knowledge. Remember, he will be doing most of the designing, but you're helping him with the process. You're the only one that Admiral Marcus allowed to work with him, how could anyone be more perfect for the job than you?"

"Have you met him? What's he like?" she inquired.

"I have met with John Harrison briefly. He is very intelligent and seems to know so much about weapons, he might even teach you many things. Think of this as an opportunity to expand on your knowledge, Erica."

Erica sighed and nodded. "Okay, I trust your judgment."

Walking inside the building they both stopped as this was the point in which they would be going their separate ways. Robert placed his hand upon his daughter's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"Don't worry, Erica. You're going to do brilliantly. You've always exceeded my expectations as well as many other's. Why not his?"

She smiled. "I'll do my best."

"Good. Now you get going, he'll be waiting for you. That's an order," he said with a smile.

"Yes, sir," she replied.

Robert left his daughter standing in the foyer of the building. Erica tried to muster her courage together before she walked off to the location in which she would be assisting John Harrison. As she walked she hoped that they would get along well. Her father never led her to believe anything negative about this assignment, nor did he tell her anything that might make her worry about Harrison. She always trusted her father's judgment, after all he had raised her on his own for twenty-two years of her life. Her mother had been killed when she was only five, leaving her with very few memories of her. Robert had taken the greatest care of his only child, he also had her training in the martial arts from a very young age in hopes it would benefit her in her future and keep her safe. Erica had mastered different fighting styles and found an interest in weapons when she was young, leading her to study voraciously and become a specialist in that field. She owed her happiness to her father and felt so grateful that she was blessed with such an incredible man as her father.

Arriving at the location where she would be working, Erica entered the room only to find it empty. Glancing at her watch she found that she was a few minutes early. She took off her jacket and laid it over the back of a chair before sitting down to wait for Harrison. Realizing that the wind had messed up her hair despite it being held back in a ponytail, Erica pulled the tie out of her long hair. She then decided to begin braiding her hair to ensure none of it would get in the way of the work she would be doing. With all of her hair braided she twisted the braid into a bun before pinning it in place.

"You must be Miss Ravencroft," a deep voice said behind her.

Erica jumped a little when she heard the voice, not even noticing a sound of the door opening or footsteps entering the room. She stood up and turned to find a tall man dressed from head to foot in black. His dark hair was smoothed back, his skin incredibly pale, and his pale green eyes gazed at her in a way that she thought they might pierce through her body. Her immediate thought about him was that he was incredibly handsome...but he seemed to be looking at her as if she was prey to him. This caught her a little off guard.

"Y-yes," she replied holding out her hand. "John Harrison, I presume."

He looked at her outstretched hand before extending his own, his fingers wrapped around her hand with an incredible grip. Erica began to think that she might be working with someone who was more intimidating than many people she had encountered.

"I have been informed of your credentials," he said releasing her hand. "Weapons specialist, a skilled fighter and marksman. Admiral Marcus certainly praised your accomplishments."

Erica shook out her hand when he had turned away from her. "Very nice of him."

"While I am aware of your skills you must understand that I do not _need_ an assistant," he stated.

Her deep emerald eyes were met once more with his intimidating gaze. Erica began to believe that he doubted her expertise.

"I am willing to prove myself to you," she replied.

"And I intend to test you," he said motioning for her to join him.

Erica walked over to the table he stood next to. All across it were various weapons, all of which she knew very well.

"I want you to tell me everything about these weapons," he challenged.

Hearing that tone of intimidation Erica decided it was best not to let him get the better of her. Gathering up her confidence she described each weapon one by one down to the very last detail as if she were giving a lecture. She described everything from range, functions and design along with anything else she deemed noteworthy. The process took quite a while and that entire time John's stern visage never changed no matter what she said. Upon completing this challenge he set before her, Erica caught her breath feeling slightly worn out from doing such an in depth explanation.

"Hmm...impressive," John replied. "It appears that you are smarter than you look. You'll do as an assistant."

Erica didn't know whether or not he really meant that. Whenever he spoke his voice seemed to lack emotion, remaining flat and filled with arrogance. She wished he would give her a little more credit for her work.

"What did you expect? A weak young woman who would not meet your expectations in the field of weaponry despite it being her specialty?"

"Crossed my mind. As I said, you'll do as my assistant. Now, I believe we should get started, Miss Ravencroft."

John turned away from her once more preparing to get started on designs. Erica stood in place for a moment, wondering just what she had gotten herself into. No one had been this way with her before, usually she managed to wow people with her knowledge. Apparently John Harrison might take more convincing.

* * *

Night had fallen after the storms rolled through. Robert sat with Erica back at their home after preparing dinner.

"So sweetheart, tell me about your first day," he said.

Erica sighed, frustration interlaced with her exhaustion. "It was long. John and I worked on some designs, but they need more work of course. I will say that he is really intelligent when it comes to design. It's almost...frightening how good he is."

Robert smiled. "See? I told you everything would be fine."

"But...I don't know if he really sees me as much of an assistant. I have to say our first day was rocky when it came to working together."

"I'm sure that it will just take time. You two just met, of course there's the chance that you won't get along right away. Cheer up, kiddo. Just give it a few days and I'm sure things will go better for you."

Erica couldn't suppress a smile, her father's confidence lifted her spirits a little. "Thanks, Dad. I'll do my best to work through it."

"That's my girl."

_I just wish I knew why John doesn't seem to trust me and how I could convince him that I am hard working and intelligent._

* * *

**Hope this first chapter was a good introduction and enjoyable! Please comment!**


	2. Breaking Point

_Just give it a few days and I'm sure things will go better for you._

For the first time in a long time Erica's father wasn't right. Naturally he would give his daughter comforting advice and positive words, then again, he was her father. Erica tried to keep a positive attitude when it came to working with John Harrison, but he always managed to find a way to make her feel frustrated or subtly degrade her. Practically every hour she worked with him was spent in silence unless it was absolutely necessary for him to tell her to do something different than what she might already be working on. She even had to bring some of the work home at night to continue perfecting the designs he specifically wanted her to do. Considering how particular he was about details, she had to ensure it would be something presentable or else she feared he might get upset with her. Even if she put a lot of effort into her work it never seemed to impress him.

Erica rushed to work one morning, coming in almost ten minutes early. The day before John almost snapped at her because she had shown up two minutes late, apparently strict about punctuality when it came to getting work done. He barely spoke with her that day. It had been an entire week that she had to work with him and nothing had improved. What frightened her the most was that he always looked at her with that intimidating gaze, like the eyes of a viper coiled and ready to strike her down at any moment. Other times he seemed to hover over her like a vulture while she worked, silently watching her. The words he spoke in that amazingly deep voice of his seemed to drip with venom. Working this way grinded on her nerves and really made her angry. Finally she decided she would not take this any longer, if he was going to continue acting this way she would have to change her attitude. Sitting in the room awaiting his arrival she sat in her chair playing with the black handled switchblade she carried on her. With the tip against the flat table her fingertips slowly turned the top of the handle as she watched the light hit the silver blade. One of her best and deadliest talents was her ability to throw knives with great accuracy and speed. She even managed to learn to do it with both hands. If anyone tried to harm her, they would not see this coming.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Erica sat up a little. "Not so late, am I?" she said glancing over to John as he entered the room.

He paused for a moment looking at her, noticing the weapon she held in her hand. Seemingly unfazed by this he continued walking inside.

"I hope you've brought those designs with you," he told her.

"Of course," she said snapping the blade back in the handle. "How could I forget them?"

From there the day started its normal way. Barely any conversation between them as they worked. Erica felt slightly bitter toward John for the way he treated her, especially because he never, ever addressed her by her first name. He always kept it formal and calling her Miss Ravencroft. She always called him John and he never complained, why did he refuse to address her on a familiar level? Ignoring her frustrations she kept working on the designs in front of her, until she suddenly got the strange feeling of someone watching her, a gaze searing into her. While this was not a feeling she hadn't experienced with him, Erica felt it harshly enough that she had to raise her head and turn only to discover John was practically standing beside her and observing her work. Erica jumped in shock letting out a stunned cry, her heart raced madly as she tried to relax.

"John, please don't do that!" she told him.

"Don't do what?" he questioned.

She took a few breaths before replying. "Hover over me that way, I had no idea you were there. You scared me."

"I was just making sure that you were remaining on task and not making any errors," he said coldly before turning away.

That was the final push to send her over the edge. In a sudden burst of anger she brought down her fist upon the table with a loud bang, one that stopped him. Erica stood up and turned so fast that her chair was knocked over. She glared at him with fury burning in her emerald eyes.

"Okay, I am sick and tired of this," she growled. "Why do you treat me this way? Have I done something to offend you? If I have I would love to be enlightened as to what is so wrong about me that you see fit to be so harsh with me!"

John looked back at her, his eyes narrowed a little curiously. "What makes you think you have done anything?"

Erica's hands clenched into fists. "From the moment I met you, you have been cold toward me. You didn't even believe that I was smart, needing me to prove that I know weapons. Is it because I'm twenty-seven years old? Because I'm a female? Or is it that you're offended by the fact that you have an assistant despite the fact that you didn't need one at all?"

He tilted his head a little, still seemingly curious by her outburst. "As I recall, I said you would do as an assistant."

Groaning in frustration Erica replied, "But everything I do never seems to suit your expectations. You're always telling me to do something else, or anything that I design you don't approve of somehow and you have to alter them. I have done everything you ever told me to do, I have never questioned you, and I have always produced results when you wanted them, but still you don't seem to approve of me. It seems to me that you really don't need me, and that I should just go to Admiral Marcus and tell him that you no longer need me."

Erica grabbed her possessions and stormed toward the door to do exactly that. Before she could lay her hand upon that door, John slammed his palm against the door with a louder bang than her fist had created. She jumped back a little, stunned that he had moved so fast. He now put himself between her and the door, her only exit. His eyes looked into her own fiercely, suddenly making her feel a little nervous as to what he might say...or do. Erica retreated a few steps as he advanced but her steps halted when she backed right into the table. As he stopped in front of her she watched him very carefully, looking for any tell-tale signs that would indicate he might physically hurt her. She was always good at reading her opponent in a fight anticipating their next move, but as much as she tried to in this case reading him was by far the hardest thing she ever had to do. His face remained emotionless, the muscles beneath his black shirt did not flex and remained relaxed. Fear dripped into her heart, but she remained as on guard as she could. Waiting for his move.

"You think that I consider you unnecessary," he began. "That your work is completely ignored."

Erica swallowed. "That is what I have felt. Besides, you have never once called me by my first name. I have used yours, but you never give me the same courtesy. It seems that you find me...inferior and useless, no matter what I do. You said you would test my abilities, weapons wise I have, must I prove myself in every way? I can and I'm willing to."

"How?"

Erica gestured to the furthest wall from them. "There is a sizable spider crawling up the wall. That is my target."

The spider while noticeable was a few yards from where they stood. Grasping her switchblade she snapped it open. With incredible quickness Erica turned her body and with the skillful movement of her arm she flung the switchblade, which spun intensely before solidly planting itself into the wall. The spider she aimed at had been impaled right in the middle of its body, its limbs flailed as the creature endured the pain as it slowly began to die. Erica watched as John walked over to that wall and examined the sight. His fingers wrapped around the handle and pulled the knife out of the wall leaving the spider to fall to the floor where it continued to die. Stepping back to her he presented her with her knife, the handle facing her. Erica took it and snapped the blade back in the handle before slipping it back in her pocket.

"Incredibly accurate...I _am_ impressed," he told her. "But you seem rather desperate for my approval."

Erica looked away. "Perhaps I have been. I just...I don't want to feel useless. I want to learn from you because you seem to know weapons even beyond what I know. Such knowledge is always desirable to me. However...if you don't want my help I don't want you to feel forced to keep me as your assistant. If you say the word, I will go to Admiral Marcus and request reassignment."

While his expression never changed he tilted his head a little. "If I didn't want you here, I would have made that perfectly clear. I will tell you this, your work is not going unnoticed. For someone so young, twenty-seven, you possess more intelligence than so many others in Starfleet. Your willingness to consider my needs and wants is rather unexpected, but appreciated. So to answer you, it is not necessary for you to seek reassignment. You might serve greater purpose for me in the future. I might be in need of your knowledge beyond weaponry. If that day comes, I would prefer having you here."

Erica hoped that he really meant those words and that he wasn't just giving her the kind of response she wanted to hear just to make her feel better. Looking back into his eyes she still couldn't read him. His voice seemed relaxed and just as emotionless as his face. She began to question whether or not he was human because of his lack of emotion. Ignoring such a preposterous notion she nodded.

"Thank you," she said. "I would be honored to keep working with you."

She turned back to her chair to get back to her work.

"And Erica," he began.

For the very first time he said her name. Erica froze in place as her limbs petrified into solid marble for a few seconds. When her brain finally sent the instructions for her body to move again, she slowly turned around back to him.

"Yes?"

"If there is one thing I can promise you, it is that by the time you are finished with this assignment you will have gained more knowledge than you can possibly fathom."

Hearing this promise made her feel quite excited. Now there was so much to look forward to.

She smiled a little. "And I look forward to it, John."

As he turned away he replied, "I'm sure you do."

What Erica never noticed was that the small curl of a smile which had formed on his lips turned into a dark smirk. She believed they were on better terms now and that she would be learning from him now. With much more enthusiasm she got back to her tasks as John sat back in his seat watching her. He could not deny that she was skilled or intelligent, nor could he refuse to admit that she was rather pretty for a human. While he knew he could easily work without her, the thought of using her to his advantage seemed so tempting. His smirk grew even darker as he watched her. The young, innocent woman before him had no idea just what he really had in store for her.

_Yes, Erica. You will do very well as my assistant for now. But I have plans for you. You'll soon learn more than you want to know. No matter how strong you think you are, I can always find a way to break you._

* * *

**Hey everyone! I wanted to start off by saying a big thank you to those who commented on this story, I really appreciated hearing your feedback! You guys are awesome! Thank you to those who favorited and followed as well, I was really happy to see that you guys were enjoying it so far! I hope this chapter was enjoyable, I really wanted to show that Erica is not so willing to just take orders and also develop her character. If there's anything you guys would love to see me include in this story, I am totally open to suggestions! I have an idea of how I want the plot to go but I'm still working it out, so hearing back from you guys would be awesome. Thanks so much for reading!**


	3. Betrayed

In the days and weeks that followed Erica felt much better about working with John Harrison. Finally they seemed to be on better terms with one another, even if he still remained very closed off and distant from her, making her wonder why he did. But she didn't pursue that issue. He was more willing to teach her things about weapons than she already knew, getting that wonderful chance to expand her knowledge in her field of specialty. Going to work was no longer as uneasy for her now that she and her partner were on friendlier ground, but she kept everything in perspective and kept herself focused on the work at hand. Not only did they do work designing weapons, but the biggest project they had to collaborate on was a massive starship called the _U.S.S. Vengeance_, more advanced than anything Erica had ever seen in her entire life. To her, it looked like a ship which would be suited for a big war, but then again she wouldn't question what they were instructed to do. She had learned to do as she was told when it came to her job, but she didn't appreciate it when someone pushed her around. Sometimes Admiral Marcus's demands didn't make sense, rubbing her the wrong way, but he was her superior so she couldn't fight back. Her father would also be disappointed with her, she couldn't risk that happening.

After a few months had passed Erica and John had progressed tremendously on their work, producing incredible designs and results. In all that time Erica's appreciation for weapons had tripled thanks to John, she felt so appreciative to him for teaching her. While everything remained 'pleasant' between them, something changed in him. One day he arrived and looked incredibly distressed and angry. Erica wasn't sure if it was her place to try and speak to him about it, but she couldn't help but feel concerned for him.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

John didn't look at her. "I'm fine," he hissed.

Erica's brow furrowed a little, confused by his response. She wanted to try and speak to him, but worried that it might make him snap at her, she decided not to press that issue with him. Instead she nodded and got to work right away. Still she wished she could do something to make him feel better, possibly open up to her. But knowing him, that was impossible. John never talked to her about anything besides work. Nothing about himself. It was very distressing for her, but she held her tongue.

His attitude continued for the days that followed after that, never getting any better. Something bad must have occurred and Erica decided that it was not her business. At least he would speak to her when they collaborated, but after that she would never hear a word from him. If he wanted her to know about it, he might tell her. But it wasn't worth him getting angry at her for prying, and it wasn't even worth her energy to be nosy even if she only wanted to be nice and friendly to him. He had become a mentor for her and she was always trying to help him. She wanted him to know that he could confide in her and she would never tell anyone.

One evening she finished up her work and was preparing to leave, usually they left around the same time but Khan appeared to be staying since he wasn't leaving his spot. Erica put on her jacket and looked over at him.

"Are you heading out soon?" she asked.

"Not yet, I have plenty still to do," he replied in that deep voice.

"Anything I can help with?" she offered. "I could stay a little longer."

He kept his eyes on the work in front of him. "Unnecessary. You've done enough for today."

She sighed disappointedly, there was never any way to please him. Finally she decided she would just say something to rid herself of this awful feeling inside of her which kept telling her to say something to him.

"Look John, you've been upset lately, I can tell. I know it's really not any of my business, however if there is anything I can do to I would be more than willing to help."

John's eyes blinked and looked up at the wall in front of him, not to her. He inhaled and exhaled normally as if he was taking in what she just said to him. Erica stood there watching him, waiting for a reply. For a few moments he said nothing, but she really wanted to know that he had not only heard her but would at least consider what she said, as she was being sincere.

"Thank...you..." he finally said awkwardly as if not knowing what else to say, or because he knew she was still there and awaiting a reply.

Erica sighed, knowing that was probably all he would say to her. As usual. He never seemed to truly consider what she said even if they were on good terms with one another. She nodded, and left him alone in the room to his work. Groaning a little to herself as she walked down the hall, Erica wished that something would prove to him that she was not someone who he couldn't trust. But that was very unlikely. Soon their work together would be done and she might not even see him again.

* * *

She navigated her way through the building to go and meet up with her father in his office. Robert had been expecting to meet with Admiral Marcus that evening, Erica wondered if they were finished by now. It was getting pretty dark out and soon they should be heading home. Soon she approached the door to her father's office, but she paused a moment when she heard Robert's voice, clearly angry. She cautiously approached the door which was just slightly open and she could hear the conversation.

"You never let it be known what you truly intended for my daughter to be working on! You deceived the entire federation, Marcus! My daughter was to be working on new weapons and a starship, but not for a war that is not going to come!"

Erica's brow furrowed, what on earth did her father mean by that?

"Robert, war is inevitable between us and the Klingons. We must be prepared, and thanks to your daughter and John Harrison, we will have the advantage."

"But this is a war that is not necessary, you're the one who is so convinced it will happen...you might even try to spark this war just because you want it so much. You're insane, Marcus!" Robert snarled.

Marcus sighed disappointedly. "You always struck me as an intelligent Captain, Robert. Now I see that you're not the man I thought you were. I was even considering giving you a position aboard the _Vengeance_, the very same ship I thought you would be honored to serve upon since your daughter helped to design it."

"Don't you dare involve Erica in any of your despicable plans anymore! I will not allow it, and when I inform the federation of your true intentions and plans, you will be-"

"You will not be able to say a word, Robert," Marcus cut him off. "I will personally make sure of that."

Erica felt a sudden wave of fear crash into her body when she heard this reply. Finally she couldn't stand by, she peered within the room to see what was going on between the two men. Her emerald eyes widened when she saw a most horrifying sight. Admiral Marcus stood just mere feet away from her father with his phaser drawn. A sudden electric charge of fear and shock blasted through her limbs from her heart, she burst through the door to stop Marcus...but it was too late.

Just as she ran into the room, Marcus fired a fatal blast at her father, knocking him to the floor and killing him instantly. Erica screamed so shrill and loud that it would make a banshee shudder, collapsing at her father's side she searched for his pulse, desperately looking for a sign that he was still alive. But the blast had been aimed at his heart, there was no hope of him surviving such a direct hit. Her father was dead...murdered...right before her eyes. Erica's body trembled as rage seeped into her bloodstream, her pupils dilated within a split second as the darkest side of her emerged, a side only seen when she was in combat. A side that was the most dangerous part of her.

She whirled around to face Marcus, her eyes narrowed viciously. "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?!" she screamed.

Marcus scoffed at her. "Oh don't be so dramatic."

"You _used_ me!" she screamed. "You _murdered_ my father!"

"You served your purpose, now you are relieved of your duties, Miss Ravencroft," he said raising the phaser. "Now you can join your father."

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw him raise the phaser toward her, she knew it was not just a threat, it was a deliberate intention to keep her quiet since she was a witness to her father's death. Immediately she lunged for the door, but Marcus fired at her yet with her quickness the blast only struck her side just above her hip. Erica screamed in agony of the pain as she sailed through the door and collided with the wall on the other side of the door. Despite the pain she sprang from where she hit the wall and sprinted down the hall as Marcus continued to fire at her, trying to fatally wound her. Erica had trained herself to be fast and agile, she managed to dodge all of those blasts and keep running. Her ears picked up the sound of his fast advancing footsteps, trying to keep up with her, but she managed to get farther and farther away, blindly running through the rather vacant building. She didn't know where she was headed, but she couldn't be anywhere near Marcus.

Soon she stopped to get much needed oxygen into her lungs. Marcus seemed to have stopped pursuing her. For now. Erica hissed in pain as she looked down at her side, it was a very ugly wound. Worse than she recalled at that time, but her mind was getting very hazy as if fog had descended upon it. Blood. She was losing it, she was in danger now. But where could she run? There was no way she could get away now, Marcus probably had sent for security to find her.

Erica mustered up her remaining strength and began running again even though she was weakening, the pain overpowering her body. She kept moving as fast as she could as her right hand clutched her side, trying feebly to keep the wound from spilling more of her precious blood. Soon she reached the door that she decided to run to. Bursting through she half collapsed against a table inside falling to her knees. She looked up and found the person she hoped was still there. John.

John turned from his work suddenly when he heard her burst into the room. He stood immediately looking at her with confusion in his eyes.

"Erica, what is the meaning of this?" he quickly questioned her.

Then he saw her hand clutching her side and the crimson blood staining her skin. His eyes snapped out of their usual harsh state, suddenly wondering what happened to her.

Erica looked up at him, she trembled as she fought to keep herself strong. "John...please...help me," she whispered.

Her body surrendered to the pain, her strength vanished instantly and she collapsed to the floor unconscious.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I apologize for not updating for a while now, I have been seriously dealing with writer's block for this story (and my other fanfic as well, this one most of all), but I am working through it as well as I can. Obviously now things will be getting interesting and I hope to update more often! Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my story (Teddy bear 007: I am interested to hear what you think should be in the story!) I really appreciate the feedback! And thank you for all of the follows and favorites! :) **


	4. Revived

Erica's eyes fluttered a few times, then a few more as she slowly came out of her unconscious state. Soon the fluttering of her eyelid became actual full blinks, her eyes adjusting to the very dim light surrounding her. Her mind tried to process where she was, she remembered she had passed out in the same room where she had been working with John...after witnessing her father's murder at the hands of Admiral Marcus. She closed her eyes tightly after recalling that horrific event, the memory played out before her once more reminding her that she had been wounded. Her eyes opened again and soon focused on her surroundings, she was in a small room and she was lying on a bed. She was no longer anywhere near Starfleet apparently.

Sitting up a little and leaning on her elbows she realized just how weak her body felt, likely from the amount of blood she had lost from her wound. It was amazing that she survived. But how? Looking down at her side where the phaser blast hit her she found that she wasn't even wearing her Starfleet uniform shirt, but she was still wearing her black bra and there was a large bandage encircling her waist, a sizable bloodstain right where her wound was. Someone had saved her.

She tried to sit up a bit more, but that caused a huge flash of pain to come from the wound and spread like wildfire through her body. Erica screamed out in pain and fell back onto the mattress, her head was beginning to spin and become dizzy. Maybe she had lost too much blood, she had no idea. But her whole body was consumed by this wretched pain and she felt awful. Even when she had fallen ill she never felt this bad, this was by far the worst pain she had ever felt in her life, and she had no idea if she was going to survive.

"Oh you're awake already?" a familiar deep baritone voice asked through the darkness. "You weren't supposed to wake up yet."

Erica's eyes turned toward a door way she never noticed the first time she looked around this place. Standing there she saw a humanoid figure there watching her for a few moments before advancing to her bedside, the small amount of light coming through the window of the room illuminated his face, revealing to her that it was John. It was relieving to her to see a familiar face, and one that she trusted at least a little. She remembered before she passed out that she had begged him for help. Apparently he listened.

"John..." she whispered. "Where am I?"

He shook his head. "That doesn't matter right now."

She brought a hand to her forehead which was pounding, further telling her that she was probably lacking enough blood to fully function.

"How bad is it?" she asked referring to her wound.

"Bad enough to ultimately kill you if left untreated. Exactly how did you manage to come by such a wound?"

Erica swallowed, her anger over what happened to her father still made her blood boil and John's tone, one that made her sound like she had sustained the wound because of a stupid error, didn't help. Her emerald eyes glared at him.

"Someone tried to kill me," she hissed.

His eyes didn't change their emotionless gaze. "Oh really? Just a random act of violence on a young woman I suppose."

"NO!" she snapped as she tried to sit up again before another wave of intense pain hit her and made her fall back onto the bed.

Her eyes were brimming with tears she was so angry and in pain, this was agony.

"If not that, then do tell me what did occur, that way I know whether or not it was worth the effort to bring you here and keep you alive."

Erica wanted to hurt him so badly for that, he was the most arrogant and dark person she had ever met. But her pain was too much, she could barely move. This was by far the weakest she ever felt in her life, and not being able to have the strength to defend herself or fight in general made her feel even more uncomfortable. All she could do was cooperate with him and hope that she would convince him of what really happened.

"I was going to meet with my father...but I overheard him yelling at Admiral Marcus, he was furious with him because apparently he found out that Marcus had ulterior motives for our weapons and starship designs, apparently to be used in a war with the Klingons. Father was threatening to reveal this to Starfleet, but...before I could stop him...Marcus shot my father with a phaser. He killed him. I ran inside the room to my father's side, but there was nothing I could do. I wanted to confront Marcus, I wanted to kill him too, but he was armed and I wasn't. I barely escaped the room when he shot me. All I could do was run until I was certain that I lost him...that's when I ran to you."

John's harsh gaze, for the first time, seemed to soften a little as he looked at her. Marcus. He did this to her, and he himself already had a reason to hate him. A very big reason.

"You're telling me the truth?" he asked.

Erica's eyes snapped back to his again. "Of course I am! I have never lied to you before, and why the hell would I lie about my own father! He was the last member of my family I had left...now I have nothing!" she retorted before she broke down in sobs.

John didn't appear to care for her crying fit she was now experiencing, but he couldn't deny that what she had said was traumatizing, and if her father was her only family...she was completely alone. It started to sound like something incredibly familiar to him, and that was not helping. Finally he sat down on the side of the bed and took hold of her shoulders before helping her to lie down again.

"You must rest, Erica," he told her in a more soothing tone. "I'm going to give you what you need to survive. You have lost too much blood."

Erica blinked away her tears and noticed that he was now holding a vial of some sort of dark liquid. "Wha...what's that?"

He took hold of her arm before injecting her with the very liquid in his hand. She flinched a little at the pain.

"My blood," he replied.

She looked at him questioningly. "Are we the same blood type?"

"More or less yes."

"But...how will such a small amount help me? You said yourself that I lost too much blood."

He set the vial aside and looked back at her. "My blood contains regenerative properties, there is no need for you to have more than what I gave you. I assure you that you will survive."

Her brow furrowed a bit. How was that possible? Unless...John Harrison was actually not human...but something completely different. Erica shuddered slightly, wondering if he was exactly who she thought he was. It seemed that he wasn't.

"Who are you?" she softly demanded.

John looked upon her with that harsh gaze, but not one that would imply that he was going to harm her.

"My name is Khan," he told her. "The name 'John Harrison' is a false identity given to me by Marcus. I am a genetically enhanced superhuman he awoke after I had been in cryogenic sleep for almost three-hundred years now. He wanted me to develop those new weapons with you for the very same war you overheard him and your father arguing about. In order to keep me under close watch, I suspect that he hired you on to work with me."

Erica stared back at him...he was not a true human. He was much more than that, all this time she had been deceived. Everyone was it seemed.

"But why would you? How did he convince you to do this?"

Khan's face turned into a slightly pained visage. "Marcus took the most important thing to me away. There are seventy-two other beings like myself...my crew. He stole them from me, he used me for his gain by taking my crew from me in order to keep me quiet and to make me do this work. I don't even know if they are still alive..." he trailed off.

Her heart jolted in a strange manner...she felt sympathy for this man, or superhuman, or whatever he was. No wonder he had always been so cold and harsh with her. Clearly he was telling her the truth. She knew from the way he responded that he was not deceiving her.

"I...I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I had no idea he did that to you."

He looked back at her, that pained look vanished and his usual emotionless one returned. "It seems we now have a common enemy. Marcus took my crew from me, and your father from you."

Erica exhaled through her nose, her blood still boiling. "I want him dead...I want him to die a slow agonizing death for what he did," she snarled.

"Do you?"

"Yes. I want avenge my father for this, Marcus took the last important thing to me in this world. I will either kill him, or die trying."

Khan looked at her with a slight look of surprise written in his features, not enough that she would really notice, but hearing her declaration made him see her in a slightly different light than before. While she was intelligent and accurate when she threw knives, it seemed that there was much more to her. She was a fighter, and it seemed she would likely be a relentless one. Suddenly the thought of keeping Erica alive was much more appealing. Maybe he could use her in his own plans to strike back at Marcus and all of Starfleet.

"Clearly you're in no position to fight right now, you must rest for a while and recover," he told her.

Erica felt that dizziness in her brain taking over, making her just want to lie down and sleep. She really hoped that Khan's blood would be able to heal her. But after she healed, what would happen then? It was pretty obvious that she wouldn't be able to go home since Marcus would probably have someone watching her place and ultimately catch her or kill her. Since she knew the truth about everything he needed to keep her quiet. Khan might not want to keep her around either, which left her with very few options.

"Khan...what's going to happen next?" she asked.

"First you will take time to recover, after that we will talk. Don't worry I'm not intending to just leave you here alone. In fact maybe you will be able to help me. If you're so intent on getting revenge on Marcus, we can help each other."

While that likely meant treason against Starfleet, the very federation which she had served for years, it sounded like a very tempting offer. Marcus had stolen the very last member of her family and with no remorse. She could not let that go. He would have to pay for what he did to her. And after hearing what he had done to Khan, it just fueled her desire to destroy him even more. Suddenly betraying Starfleet sounded more and more appealing. Of course she had no idea how Khan intended to strike back, but that could be addressed later. Right now she felt tired, needing to sleep again.

"You have my interest," she told him.

He appeared pleased by that simple response, he wanted her full acceptance but he knew that right now she needed to recover first. It wouldn't do him any good if she was weak and unable to heal before he carried out his plans for revenge. Khan had always wondered how he could manage to use her against Starfleet, a few ideas had come to mind, but never this one. Now that she had a reason to want to kill Marcus this might serve him even better if she was more than willing to betray Starfleet.

"Good. Now rest, Erica. We will discuss this further when you are awake again."

Erica nodded and closed her eyes, surrendering her strength to the overwhelming feelings of fatigue and dizziness. Very quickly she fell asleep again, this time knowing that there was a spark of hope there for her to get her revenge on Marcus, and it seemed that Khan might be willing to help her achieve that goal. That was something which would make her sleep peacefully.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, but the holiday week was very busy so not a lot of writing was able to be done. Plus this story has been a bit of a challenge with writer's block and trying to write in a way that captures what I know I want to happen. Sorry if Khan seems a bit out of character, but in the coming chapters I intend to try and keep him as dark as he's supposed to be, and we'll have to wait and see just how Erica will respond to that! I will try and update as soon as I can of course! Thank you so much to everyone who commented, I really appreciate your feedback! And thank you to those of you who followed and favorited my story! :)**


	5. Deal?

Erica's eyes fluttered open once more, after feeling like she had slept for years. When she looked around her this time, she realized that she was in a completely different bedroom. What had happened this time? Gently she sat up, noticing that she didn't feel pain like she had when she was last conscious. Looking down she noticed that she was now wearing a black tanktop, she recalled before how she originally had been reduced to her bra and a bandage due to her injury. She still had her black pants from before though. Pulling back the tanktop, she found that underneath it she no longer had a bandage around her torso. Instead her skin had healed perfectly.

That was when she remembered the conversation she had with John...no, _Khan_. He revealed his true identity to her, he too had been used by Admiral Marcus, but in a much more evil manner than she had been. Khan had given her his blood to heal her after she told him what had happened to her and her father. He must have taken pity on her in order to do that, but she knew that he had also offered her a chance to join him in a plot for revenge against Marcus. Since she had no idea what he was planning, she had only said he had her interest. And she was still very much interested, but she never agreed to anything without knowing what she was getting herself into first. Erica never would blindly agree to something, she wasn't stupid.

While she still felt somewhat weak and was still waking up, Erica felt sharp pains in her stomach, indicating that she was starving. She slipped out of bed, noticing that on a nearby chair there were folded clothes, at least a few days worth, along with her knee high boots. It seemed that Khan was thinking about her needs since they were now in hiding. The question was where?

Walking out of the room she walked down a long, unfamiliar hallway noticing that there were large windows in what looked to be a living room area overlooking a city. She walked slowly toward them until she stood before the glass. Looking at the vast city full of buildings, noticing how busy it seemed as people commuted, she knew she was in a very big city. The more she looked at it, the more she realized that she was absolutely not in San Francisco anymore, heck she wasn't even in the same country. She was now in London.

Her eyes narrowed a bit as her eyebrows drew closer together in confusion. How did she get there? Obviously Khan had something to do with it, but how did he do it, and why take her so far from Starfleet Headquarters where Marcus was? Looking around her in this rather spacious apartment, she didn't immediately see him, wondering where he might be. When her eyes caught sight of the kitchen she decided to see if there was anything to calm the sharp pains in her stomach. Thankfully she found lots of healthier foods in the fridge, grabbing an apple she began to eat the fruit, already starting to feel better with every bite she took. She still wondered how long she had been asleep, it didn't feel like it had been just a few hours, and seeing as she was now in London, she couldn't see how Khan got them there that fast.

When she finished eating the apple she disposed of the remaining core before she walked back into the living room and looked back out the window at the sights of London, still wondering why Khan would have chosen this place. Erica soon felt as if she wasn't alone, the feeling of eyes staring into her back. Slowly she turned around and saw Khan there, watching her.

"It's nice to see you awake again, Erica," he said in that deep voice of his.

She never jumped when she saw him. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days," he replied. "Seems that you really were quite on the threshold of death. But you appear to have recovered beautifully."

Two days? Erica knew she had been asleep for a long time, but that was just a bit longer than she had thought.

"And...why are we in London?" she asked.

Khan sighed, looking rather disappointed..no...devastated.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you behind and alone. I needed to escape, and in doing so I had to take you with me. While you slept I discovered where Marcus was hiding my crew away and tried to smuggle them away. They were frozen in cryogenic pods, asleep like I was before Marcus woke me. Using the torpedoes I had designed, I hid all seventy-two of the pods within them, aiming to slip them away unnoticed...but I was discovered...I had to escape alone. I now have reason to believe that Marcus has killed every single one of the people I hold most dear."

Erica's jaw dropped a bit. He sounded so bitter when he mentioned Marcus, and she couldn't blame him at all. Seventy-two beings which Khan had considered his closest friends, those he loved, were taken away from him...just like Marcus had taken her father from her. Her heart broke for him, her blood began to slowly boil with appalled anger toward the Admiral. Maybe this time she wouldn't need to know what Khan was planning in order to accept and help him. They were both wronged by the same person, revenge was imminent.

Swallowing a bit, she slowly walked over to Khan. "I'm sorry, truly I am. I wish I had been awake to help you."

Khan looked back at her, no emotion in his eyes. "You were in no condition to move. Your body needed more time to heal than I predicted. But now that you're awake, I think it's time that we discuss the matter of revenge, which you seemed so interested in."

She nodded. "Yes, and I am still very interested. In fact, more so now that you've told me this. Marcus has gone too far, and he is going against everything that Starfleet upholds. He has abused his power, and too many lives have suffered for this. I told you I want him dead, something tells me that you do as well."

He seemed pleased by what she said, his expression barely moved from that expressionless one he held so well, but something in the way that Khan looked at her told Erica that he was pleased by her words.

"Indeed. Marcus has murdered your father and taken away my crew, possibly killing them as well. We will repay him in kind."

Erica grinned. "And I will gladly help you in doing so. When do we strike?"

Khan folded his arms and looked at her with a more stern look. "Not for a while. A couple of months will be necessary to fully plan everything, and with you and I having escaped far enough from Starfleet and Marcus, we need time for him to stop looking for you. Without your dead body, he likely won't rest easy knowing you're still out there after witnessing your father's murder. In the meantime, you must get your strength back as well. While you have recovered, you're not ready for combat."

She blinked in surprise. "Are you kidding? I am fully prepared to fight. I am one of the most skilled fighters Starfleet ever had," she declared.

"You are not ready, Erica. And I am fully aware of your fighting abilities. I have done my research on you. You've been trained in martial arts and combat fighting since you were six years old, a decision made by your father. Rather interesting that you began so young."

There was a reason for that. One Erica wasn't so keen on discussing, but it was the life changing moment for her. The day she lost her childhood innocence and understood what violence really was. Her eyes tore away from his own, a painful lump developed in the back of her throat and her heart grew heavy.

"My mother was murdered when I was five. She was walking home alone at night when thieves attacked her, beating her up so mercilessly and left her to die like an animal in the streets. My father wanted me to be safe, not to fall victim to such cruel people, so he had me learn self defense early on. Knowing what happened to my mother drove me to learn more, become a fighter and excel at it. And I have, it has made me who I am today."

Khan looked upon her with slight, very slight emotion in his eyes. He would not have guessed that such an event was the reason for her learning self defense. Now she had no one as she said, her father now had been murdered as well. But she had a chance to get revenge.

"I am...sorry," he told her, though his voice didn't carry much of a consoling tone. "I will help you train and gain your strength back."

She looked up at him. "You will?"

"Yes. I plan to train you and make you a stronger, more capable fighter than you were before. If you accept my offer, know this, you will follow my instructions and you will train the way I tell you to. I will have you train when and how I feel is best, and you will become a far superior fighter, which I know is your desire. You may have your own ways of training, but I prefer to follow mine."

Khan held up her music player, a device she was most fond of using when she was training to give her a rhythm to move to and to keep her pumped up and motivated. She forgot that she had left it in her jacket.

"No distractions," Khan said crushing the small devise in his fist, reducing it to small shards and broken pieces.

Erica's eyes widened in horror. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" she demanded.

"As I said, you will train my way. I will teach you what you need in order to fight, but as I said no distractions. I will not tolerate you filling your brain with frivolous music and sounds which will only cloud your thought process. Do we have an understanding, Erica?"

Her blood boiled with anger, completely unwilling to be pushed around by Khan even if he was going to help her. She _never_ liked being pushed around by anyone. Seeing one of her possessions destroyed before her very eyes, something she had always used as part of her training, made her furious.

"That's not fair! You have no right to destroy something of mine!" she snapped.

Khan's eyes narrowed as the broken remains of her music player fell from his fist to the floor below. "You turned to me for help, and now you're wanting to assist me in getting revenge against Marcus. I never needed to help you, I could have just allowed you to bleed on the floor until you were dead. But I chose to help you, to revive you so we could both get revenge against him. If you want my help, the least you could do would be to appreciate what I am offering you and to do this my way since I am being so kind as to do all this for you at all," he snarled.

Erica wanted to get defensive, to not submit to Khan on his one. But he definitely was making her feel like she really had no choice in the matter. If she left him now, she would have to remain in hiding since Marcus would probably try to track her down since she knew his intentions and she had witnessed him murder her father. Although her wound had been rather fatal and he might have assumed that she ran off somewhere but probably died, she knew that he would want a body to ensure that she didn't talk. She now understood that Khan would be like a harsh drill sergeant, he would make her work to her limits and she would have to do everything by his rules. He would challenge her. And she wanted to prove to him that she could take anything he threw at her.

"Do we have a deal, Erica?" he asked.

Erica looked into his eyes, her emerald ones blazing with fire. "Yes, Khan. We do."

She had no idea what would be the result of those words, but she had sealed her fate. Erica accepted Khan's offer to train her and get her ready for the day they would get revenge on Marcus. Whatever Khan would do to make her into a stronger fighter, she knew it would be challenging, probably more so than any other training she had ever received. But if he thought she would cave in and fail, he was dead wrong and she intended to prove it.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I apologize for the long delay, but I am still working on this story, just not as quickly as I would like to! I'm hoping that when I conclude my other fanfic I will have more time and that I will have more of this plot figured out as well. I hope that you're all still enjoying this one, and I plan for it to get better from here! Thank you to everyone who commented on my story, and thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited as well! I really appreciate it!**


	6. Try and Break Me

He said he would train her. Erica learned very quickly that this was torture in disguise that she had agreed to. Khan had allowed her the rest of the day to relax after making their deal, promising that the following day they would begin her training. While she was very eager to get started, to build up her strength and then finally get revenge on Marcus for what he had done to her and Khan, she wasn't completely certain what his plans were for her in terms of training. Undoubtedly she would have to work out a lot to get her muscles more toned, but she knew he would probably be teaching her fighting as well. Although that was a field she was quite well versed in, she hoped she would be able to show Khan that she knew more than he anticipated and he would be able to show her things she might not know. Erica was very confident that he would be impressed with her.

Wrong.

The first day of training he had her wake up at five in the morning, which she hated. Erica didn't mind getting up early if she knew she had to, but Khan had not given her a heads up on when to be ready. Whenever she woke up early, reluctantly, she was usually very cranky. He allowed her to eat a small healthy breakfast to further help her in waking from her slumber before he explained what he wanted her to do and what her days would consist of. First she would go and run in the morning every day along a route he had planned for her, after she stretched and digested her food first, followed by weight lifting and other vital exercises. Actual fight training wouldn't happen until he was certain that she was prepared physically, deeming her unfit to do so at this time.

Hearing him say that she was 'unfit' made her want to punch him. Her body was very toned and she was rather strong, having been able to lift very heavy weights. Whenever he made such comments that made her sound weak she always wanted to hurt him, prove him wrong. But she had made a deal with him and he was the only one who could help her get revenge. She bit her tongue when he had done this, holding back a smartass comment that might get her in trouble. Khan might have also been thinking about how she had been recovering from her near fatal injury when he said she was unfit, so that somewhat helped her restrain herself.

In the morning, every day, she was expected to run the entirety of the route he had planned for her through London, and then having her come back to the flat where they were hiding out in.

"Do not deviate from the path I have given you. If you do not return within half an hour, I will find you," he warned her.

Erica shot daggers from her emerald eyes, again hating how he spoke to her half the time. "Oh like I would willingly run off somewhere and hide from you. I'm not an idiot, and you don't have to treat me like I'm your prisoner and I might turn you in or something."

Khan looked back into her eyes, seeing how defensive she was getting. "That would be incredibly unwise and foolish of you, seeing as Marcus might be looking for you and turning me in would inevitably lead to consequences for you. And your desire for revenge would be completely unfulfilled. You agreed to do this my way, and I expect you to do that."

Her eyes rolled a bit. "Fine. I'll do this your way, but don't think for a minute that you can command everything I do in my life. I have a mind of my own."

His eyes slightly narrowed toward her, only slightly but enough for her to notice. "You really have quite a sharp tongue, a very stubborn nature, my dear. I would be very, very careful if I were you. It could lead to a rather unpleasant outcome for you," his deep voice warned.

Erica exhaled sharply through her nose, her own eyes narrowing. "Are you threatening me? I may not be as strong as you, Khan, but do not forget that I am not some weak damsel in distress who can't put up a fight or die trying. You cannot break me," she angrily spat.

In response, Khan's eyes seemed to look at her with a sort of sparkle in his eyes, but not in a good way. It was one which showed a spark of inspiration, one that was telling him to really see just how much he could push her to the breaking point, make her regret saying such things as he had cautioned her before.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked.

Standing her ground, Erica looked back into his eyes with strong confidence. "I will take everything you throw at me and I will not break. Go ahead and try to, but I will not bend and break."

Although he would not admit it, he felt a small twinge inside, rather impressed with her. He sort of admired how strong willed she was, but he knew that her stubborn nature could be her downfall. Erica had so much potential as a fighter, and he would train her but if she allowed her true strength to waver and her stubbornness to blind her, it would possibly kill her. Khan would challenge her abilities, and if she did persevere and accomplish everything he had planned for her, she would be better than she knew she could be.

"Very well. We'll see how you fair with your training."

And that was the beginning.

From there, Erica had to get dressed in the exercise apparel Khan gave her, black stretchy capris, black tank top and a black warm up jacket with a hood, and her new running shoes. Remembering the route he mapped out for her to run, she had to leave the flat and began running upon completing her stretches. The route was rather long for her to jog, but she knew it would not be a problem with her and she would be back before the thirty minutes were up. Every morning she had to do this, no exceptions.

Whenever she would return she would only get a few minutes to relax her burning, sore muscles and rehydrate before she would have to move on to the next phase of her training. While the run itself was a huge workout, she never complained. She liked feeling the burning sensation in her muscles, knowing she was working them the way she always had when she had trained on her own. But when she had to continue working out, and so quickly after her run it made her muscles feel like they were on fire.

Erica had to do a series of weightlifting exercises, followed by sit-ups and other exercises to tone her muscles and core. Her favorite thing which Khan wanted her to do was using the punching bag in the flat. Oh how she loved using it as a means of taking out all of her rage and anger on it with punches and roundhouse kicks. Anger towards Marcus, and her anger towards Khan for the way he treated her at times. While she was grateful that he saved her life and was helping her, she was not happy with the way he pushed her around. Beads of sweat built up all over her skin as she continued these long workouts and her muscles screamed by the time she was done with everything Khan wanted her to do.

That lasted for weeks. Then came the actual fighting.

When Erica found exercise mats laid out on the floor of their flat, a huge adrenaline rush surged through her veins knowing that Khan would be finally helping her learn to fight. Finally. Something much more interesting than just strength training. Over the weeks leading up to that moment, her body had become much more toned and her strength had increased. She loved it and her confidence was skyrocketing.

Fighting Khan proved to be something which broke her confidence a bit though. While he had told her that he would obviously not use his full strength with her, she couldn't do anything right. She tried to read his body language in the ways he instructed her, trying to anticipate how he would attack her, like a game of chess. While she would always anticipate correctly, her response seemed to never be enough to escape him or counter his move in time. She would find herself on her back, staring back at him completely stunned that she kept failing. Erica was an intelligent, strong fighter. Why was she failing all of a sudden? Khan would always instruct her to do it all over again, not giving her any sympathy. As days passed she improved a little, but not enough to win any praise from Khan, who had become more of a harsh drill sergeant.

After the first few days, Erica felt as if her body had almost been abused it was in such agony by the end of the day. Whenever she showered she felt like her knees were so weak that she would collapse. While she hadn't really cared for them before, cold showers became part of her routine in order to alleviate some of the pain. Soon she even needed to resort to taking baths if she felt like she couldn't stand. It wasn't that she hadn't trained hard in the past, it was just the way Khan's training took a toll on her. He pushed her harder than anyone had before, always challenging her at the first sign that she was used to anything. It felt like torture. Her back and spine felt so sore from the number of times Khan had knocked her to the mat, her arms felt nearly useless, everything hurt. But her heart and confidence were what hurt the most.

Part of her wanted to cry and to admit she was breaking, she might not be the fighter she thought she was. Ever since her father died, she felt so weak. Her stubborn side screamed at her for thinking such weak thoughts. She couldn't allow Khan to break her, no matter how much it hurt. But that meant she would have to let go of her stubbornness, refuse to allow herself to be so mad that she wasn't fighting Khan and showing her potential. Something had to change.

After her run one morning, Erica met Khan to do her fight training. She was already in a foul mood because she felt as if he was treating her like a machine that was not performing well, a common way he made her feel practically every day. As usual, as they began, she would find herself being knocked down, but after being able to block a few of his attacks.

"You really try my patience, Erica," he snarled as he stood over her, dissatisfied with her. "I would have expected more out of you by now. Your strength is more than perfect, but your focus is weak. Makes me think you're not the fighter I thought you were."

Erica closed her eyes and felt herself want to cry again from the pain his words inflicted on her, making her truly feel broken. He was winning...he was breaking her...

_No._

Something inside her snapped. She wasn't broken. She had been pushed over the edge. Her stubborn nature wasn't supporting her. Something else was. Something deeper...darker. Erica pushed aside everything, her stubbornness, all sharp tongued words she might say, and she seemed to have something else taking over her. Her anger and rage weren't blinding her, she was fueled by some new determination not to lose, one stronger than ever before.

When her eyes flashed open, she watched Khan turning as if giving up on her. Erica narrowed her eyes, watching him even more closely than before. With a quick swish of her leg, Erica kicked Khan's legs out from under him, causing him to fall with his back to the mat. Springing to her knees she hovered over Khan this time, holding his shirt collar with a tight grip. Her eyes were ablaze with emerald fire, her pupils dilated and focused more than ever before, like a true predator.

"You were saying?" she asked.

Khan never saw her reaction coming, nor had he anticipated it. He had thought he had broken her, finally showing her that her stubbornness had been fooled as strength. But here she was, having found an upper hand in this moment. And there was no sarcasm in her voice. Erica looked strong, fierce, completely different. Something had changed in her it seemed. The fighter he wanted her to be...was emerging. Maybe he had broken the weaker side of her, but the truly strong part of her was evolving. He had to make sure.

"Now you're showing potential...let's begin again shall we?"

Erica loosened her grip on his collar, her eyes never blinked as she rose to her feet once more, anticipating that he might strike her at any second. Khan rose as well, staring her down, preparing to fight her again, and expecting far better results this time. And the results were much better. Not only was Erica dodging his blows swiftly, but she soon began countering them effectively, forcing him to rethink his strategies. Erica really was becoming a strong, ferocious fighter. She always had the ability, and her years of training showed now, and it seemed that Khan had awoken a part of her that was dormant, a darker side of her as a fighter. A potentially lethal one. If she continued training as she was, soon Erica would be the very fighter he would need at his side when he carried out his plans for revenge.

"Enough," he told her finally, halting their training. "I think we're done for today."

Erica stopped. "Oh?"

"You have just shown more skill, strength and potential than I have seen in you for days. You truly are showing that you are becoming a very worthy opponent. What are you feeling right now when you're fighting. Something has changed in you."

She breathed and tried to figure it out herself, not truly understanding what it was. "I...I'm not sure. I just felt...a strange new form of determination come over me, a desire to not fail. But I was fighting with more focus, I forgot everything. My anger was not in mind, nothing was. It felt more fluid when I was fighting, like everything I had learned before was there but I understood it in a way I never had before. No distractions from emotions...just focused on effectively fighting my opponent."

Khan looked at her with a far less intense gaze. "And that was what I wanted for you. To become a stronger fighter. You're tapping into potential you never thought you possessed. Do not let go of this, Erica. I want you to meditate on this, detach yourself from your emotions no matter how much they have overwhelmed you. When you fight, you have to remain focused solely on your opponent, ready for anything, never become distracted by your feelings."

Erica knew he was right. When she had found this new surge of determination and strength, when she abandoned everything else in her mind and focused on Khan as her opponent, everything just somehow clicked...it was as if she had everything there for her, but her execution of her fighting lacked that last missing piece to truly be an effective fighter.

"Yes, Khan. I will."

And she swore from that moment forward, she would never allow herself to allow this new part of her, this new mentality and strength, to ever leave her. She had taken hold of it, and she was going to master this. When she fought, she would be more driven, more focused, and she would never ever back down. Her emotions and her stubborn nature would not blind her. Erica found that Khan never truly broke her, he had broken her weak nature and showed her who she could really become.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry once again for the delay, but I've been very busy so writing wasn't really done until this weekend and I just finished writing this chapter because I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that you're all still enjoying the story! Thank you to everyone who has been following and favoriting my story, and please comment, I really appreciate your feedback! :) **


	7. Turning of the Tides

Erica had challenged Khan to throw everything he could at her when it came to her training. After weeks of training and then the torturous combat training, she had discovered more potential than she thought she possessed. Her stubborn nature no longer blinded her, she no longer felt such intense anger toward him, and her skills were only improving. Erica continued to do the exercises Khan gave her to do before they did the combat and fight training. Although Khan was much stronger than she was, he always made sure not to use more of his strength than necessary with her since she was still just a human, no matter how much better she was getting. Since he was not changing the amount of strength he was using with her, it was easier to see just how much she was improving.

Khan was thoroughly impressed with his protégé, he never thought she would improve so significantly and in such a short amount of time. He knew that she had the ability to be a fierce fighter, and she finally showed it. Erica was evolving, a darker and more ferocious side of her had emerged and it made her look stronger and she also had a new confidence built up within her. It was a remarkable sight. The wounded woman he had taken under his wing and treated and trained, no longer existed. She was a changed person, and he knew that she would be able to be a very important factor in his plans to get revenge against Marcus. Then again, she too wanted revenge for her father being murdered. They were very alike in their desires to see Marcus suffer and die. Seeing how willing and determined she was to fight and learn from him, he still continued to work with her.

And yet...as time passed, Khan found himself changing as well. His mind and body weren't changing, however another part of him seemed to be changing. His heart. Khan found himself growing steadily fonder of Erica as she continued to excel in her training. Because she was becoming much stronger, confident and focused, he admired her more. While she was just a human, he had never seen one who was so driven. She had become, in his eyes, extremely attractive. While she had always been physically beautiful in his eyes, even when he had been very cold toward her, he could not have denied her beauty. Now, he was finding that her strength, intelligence and her dedication certainly made her far more attractive.

This was very, very bad.

Khan never had anticipated that he would have grown so fond of Erica. Now he was walking a very thin line...he could very easily lose his balance and find himself in a freefall. One leading to falling in love. He could not surrender his heart, the only people who mattered to him were the seventy-two members of his crew. Erica did matter to him, very much, but he could not allow himself to love her. Weakness, displaying emotions, was not an option for him. While he inwardly fought these feelings, never giving Erica any shred of evidence of this, he managed to keep himself focused whenever they trained. Khan would not change their plans. He would continue to train with her, and then when he was ready to tell her his plan for revenge he would sit her down and tell her every detail, including how he wanted her to factor in. All of her training would serve very well.

Erica never knew of the brewing affections Khan was feeling for her, he hid all of this so well from her. All she could do was train as instructed. What did change though was the intensity of their combat training. Sometimes Khan would pause at times, looking at her in a way she could not understand or read. Suddenly he would fight her like a vicious beast. She took it as a challenge to see how fast she could react and fight. And she rose to this challenge every time, showing him that she really was able to fight him and take everything he threw at her. Just as she originally wanted.

While Khan should have been proud of her and told her this, he was finding himself only growing fonder of her as she met every challenge, and this only made him more frustrated. Even when he tried to find a way to break her, to make her show some sort of weakness, she always found a way to impress him and show that she was no longer the woman he once thought she was when they first began. No matter what he did, he could not dismiss these feelings he had for Erica. Sometimes he would get so frustrated that he would just end their training sooner than usual and retreat to his bedroom, unable to look at her. He could not face her or else he might do something that he would regret.

This behavior confused Erica. She didn't mind the challenging routines now, but the way he looked at her and how he would suddenly dismiss her from their training and just stay hidden away from her.

"I'm sorry, Erica. I'm afraid I cannot continue today," he told her after only minutes of training one day.

Erica stared back at him, relaxing her stance. "This is the fourth time you've done that this week. Khan what is going on? Is something wrong?"

He couldn't even look her in the eye, Khan only stared at the floor. "Yes...I'm fine. I just have several things on my mind right now."

"Why can't you tell me?" she asked. "Isn't there anything I can do to help?"

Khan shook his head. "No. Just continue your exercises alone," he told her flatly.

Biting her lower lip she thought about doing as he said, but because this had been something he was doing more and more as of late, she couldn't wave it off so easily. Khan was all she had right now. He was her mentor and in a way her protector. Saving her life well over two months ago and then bringing her to London to be far away from Starfleet, he had done so much for her and to see him acting this was ways almost distressing her.

"Khan, please I can tell something is really weighing you down. Isn't there anything I can do?" she asked, tentatively reaching out her hand to touch his shoulder.

Noticing her do this he stepped back once, putting distance between them and finally looking her in the eye sternly. "No. I said I was fine. I appreciate your concern, however it is not needed. What I do need is for you to take my word and listen to me when I say I am completely fine and I just want you to continue your training alone. Are we clear, Erica?"

Her brow furrowed a little in surprise. She hadn't heard him speak so coldly in ages. Something must be really bothering him that he didn't want her to know about. Those piercing pale-green orbs stared back at her in such an intense manner that she almost felt his gaze burning into her skin. Swallowing a bit she nodded, unwilling to press this issue any more.

"Yes," she replied.

"Good," he hissed before briskly walking out of the room and directly toward his bedroom before shutting the door behind him.

Erica stared at the door, still very confused by all of this. Maybe he was worried about their plans for getting revenge on Starfleet. He had still not told her how he planned to carry out those plans, nor had he told her what her involvement would be. Maybe he was still angry about his crew being taken from him, possibly destroyed by Marcus. Seeing Khan this way she wanted to help him. She wanted to make this easier for him somehow, but he was so good at shutting himself off from her emotionally and physically. He wouldn't even come out of his room for hours and even when he did he barely spoke to her. Had she done something wrong?

Unknown to Khan, Erica too felt different as of late. Her anger toward him which first existed in the beginning had gone away completely. She respected him and considered him her only friend, even though their relationship really wasn't necessarily an amiable one. It was a mentor/student relationship overall. But he had saved her life, bringing her back from the brink of death with his blood even though he never had to. Khan had sympathized with her, sort of, because they were both very angry and desiring revenge on Marcus for what he had done to them both. More than that he had changed her life, training her to be a far better and fiercer fighter than she had ever been before. Everything he had done for her was positive, and it made her grow more and more fond of him. More than that, she felt as if she was...falling in love with him.

Never in her life, never had she found herself feeling any sort of affection for any man in her life. Certainly she had been approached by men before, men who tried to woo her and win her affections, but she knew their intentions were. All of them found her physically attractive, not her intelligence or her strength. All of their reasons were shallow and not worthy of her time. Erica's heart finally found itself beginning to beat with new life. Khan had been inspiring new emotions in her, ones which she was scared to admit or act upon. He was incredibly handsome to her, but her reasons for loving him stemmed from everything he had been doing for her. It wasn't until later that she realized how attractive he was. As the days passed, these feelings for him gradually increased, all against her better judgment. She knew Khan wouldn't love her. A human. He just needed her help, and she would do whatever he needed. But after they sought revenge, what would happen to them? Erica was sure he would probably go his own way, leaving her alone to survive once more on her own in hiding from Starfleet. That was a life she could never go back to. Not after what she would likely be doing. She could foresee so much danger and death ahead for them. She would do her best to keep them both alive and to succeed in whatever Khan had planned for them. Soon he would be telling her, she had a very strong feeling that it was the case.

Swallowing back her emotions, Erica sighed and obeyed Khan's directions. She went right to work on her exercises. Her mind would occasionally wander back to her feelings for Khan, which did make her feel a bit depressed knowing that he was shutting her out and not letting her know what was upsetting him, and he was never going to return her affections. She was finding that she was a bit weak, almost surrendering her heart. It could only end badly if she allowed this to continue.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter was a bit short, but the next one should be longer and certainly more exciting! I will do my best to get that one written soon! Thank you to everyone who has commented, I always appreciate your feedback! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed and favorited my story as well, I always appreciate my readers! :) **


	8. Caving

The following days after that incident were rather awkward for Erica. She saw Khan less often than usual, and the amount of time he would actually work with her had decreased as well. Their training together lasted only for so long before he would instruct her to carry on with her other exercises while he retreated from her and went off to his room. None of this made sense. How could he go from being so proud of her efforts and how well she was excelling in her combat training to hardly being able to work with her anymore? Had she done something wrong and he refused to tell her?

Erica also continued to wrestle with her ever growing feelings for Khan. Her heart would flutter whenever she saw him for the first time during the day, making her have to force herself not to blush or seem overly excited to see him. It frightened her so to feel such strong emotions for him, and it killed her to know that she could not tell him. He never gave her any indication that he was feeling anything similar in return. He just saw her as a student of sorts and she would be his assistant when he decided the time was right to go and carry out their plans of revenge. As the days carried on, she just tried to tell herself that this was something she would never have. Khan was not going to love her or desire her in any of the ways she desired him. She could always be a stubborn person in her life, and apparently her heart was just as stubborn because it was so difficult to convince herself to forget about him and move on, just accepting him as a friend and mentor. But she had to do it.

Khan on the other hand was dealing with the very same battle she was going through. He felt a very strong attachment to Erica, his admiration of her strength soon evolved into a sort of...affectionate love for her. He wanted to be able to act upon his feelings for her, he wanted to...kiss her, confess his feelings. But that was ridiculous. Erica was only looking to him for help getting revenge on Marcus and doing everything he instructed her to do to complete her training. He never anticipated that this student/mentor role would in fact draw them closer together like magnets. He had to resist, to keep her from penetrating his heart and causing something they would regret. Khan never would hurt her deliberately, but he worried that if he allowed her to get to close it would happen. Although she was weaker than him since he was genetically enhanced, he didn't find her to be inferior like other humans. Erica had exceeded his expectations when it came to her training and how strong and unbreakable her will was. His intelligent mind continued to try and understand what it was about her that was so intriguing, but she was quite an enigma. Instead of worrying, he only worked with her for so long before he had to stay away from her and allowing his heart to take control and override his brains commands.

As they both worked to keep their emotions in check, Erica found herself almost getting sick of being pushed aside by Khan. She felt as if he was treating her as if she didn't matter, his words were always brief and had an icy tone to them. Soon this new home and hideout for them felt more like a prison. While he allowed her to leave and go and do her morning run, he never allowed her to leave otherwise. So she felt as if she was in isolation because she was mostly by herself during the day. About 95% of her day was spent on her own without Khan being in the same room. While being alone never bothered her before, this was a different sort of loneliness she was experiencing. There was someone there with her almost at all times, but he barely acknowledged her existence. She felt like she was a ghost just lingering in this place. And it hurt.

One morning Erica was up early, just before the sun was rising in order to do her run. Sitting on the couch she was lacing up her running shoes which Khan got for her since her knee high boots would be ridiculous to run in. Khan emerged from his room as usual to grab some sort of sustenance before retreating once more.

"Morning, Khan," she said to him.

Khan never turned to her, nor did he say a word as he searched for what he was looking for. Erica watched him, just waiting to see if he would even make a small glance in her direction. But he didn't. He was completely ignoring her. She couldn't take it anymore. Erica leapt to her feet to confront him.

"Okay I am absolutely sick and tired of this. Why won't you speak to me anymore?" she demanded firmly.

Khan kept his back to her. "I speak to you every day."

"Barely!" she snapped. "Less and less you speak to me, as if you hate me and can't stand my existence! First you promised to train me, and now you barely work with me!"

"You have excelled in your training, Erica. There's nothing more I need to work with you on, you just need to keep practicing."

Erica almost whipped out her switchblade to slam it into the wooden table beside her, but she resisted. "I am _sick _and _tired_ of practicing for hours every single day without a day off! I do not regret your teaching me, but I have been doing this for weeks! Months!"

Khan slowly turned to her, almost astonished by how angry she was. "I told you we would be doing this my way, and you will keep doing things as I tell you if you're going to be ready for what I have planned for our revenge," he firmly stated.

"I have done _everything _you've ever asked me to do! And suddenly you've been pushing me aside, not working with me as you promised you would! _You're_ the one who's not doing things the way you said they would be done!" she screamed, absolutely ready to lose her temper completely.

His pale-green eyes, the ones she had found rather entrancing like the eyes of a cobra, turned very dark with anger. Khan did _not _like the way she was acting right now. Marching right over to her he stopped right in front of her and looked down at the female before him who was just a few inches shorter than he was.

"You _dare _take such a tone with me? I could have left you back at Starfleet bleeding all over the floor, allowed your life to end, allowed Marcus to keep your mouth shut and dispose of your body himself. Have you forgotten all of the things I have done for you?" he snapped. "One would think that you would be far more grateful."

Erica felt only one shudder of fear run down her spine as he approached, but in the time that Khan had been teaching her to fight, she had found much more confidence and could stand her ground better. Her emerald eyes had unleashed a wildfire in her orbs as she looked back into his own eyes, never blinking once.

"Of course I am grateful to you for what you did, I think about it every day, Khan!" she hissed back. "You could have allowed me to die, and you could certainly end me right now and just be rid of me. It could be so easy for you couldn't it? But that still doesn't change the fact that you are pushing me aside and not training with me as much as before, and you hardly ever speak to me. I don't even know what role I play in this plan for revenge! You _never _tell me anything! Something is bothering you, I am sure of it, and I fear that it involves me somehow. So instead of telling me why you seem to hate me all of a sudden you just ignore me and make me feel like I am some sort of prisoner in solitary confinement or something when I don't even know what it is that I have done to you!"

Khan stared back at her as she made her retort. His muscles had tensed up a bit, but the harsh look in his eyes diminished just a little. Suddenly he exhaled deeply through his flared nostrils and turned away from her walking to the opposite side of the room as if needing to put space between them. He inhaled and exhaled, trying to let go of the anger he had felt.

"It's not...you that's the problem..." he told her in his normal deep voice. "The problem is my own. Right now, I can't explain it to you. I just need you to continue with what we have been working on. I assure you I will explain my plan to you. Very soon."

Erica sighed and crossed her arms. Although he told her that the issue lay with him and not with her, it still didn't satisfy her. Obviously it was something that mattered and was a very important factor if he was acting this way. She placed her trust in him, yet he couldn't trust her enough to explain why he was acting this way.

"Fine. If that's the way you want it, then fine," she said. "But I don't feel like working out today, Khan. As I said, I have worked hard every day for months now doing everything you asked. I am taking today off," she said before retreating to her bedroom and slamming the door behind her.

Khan watched as she left the room, deciding not to argue with her on that note. While he wanted her to continue working on her training, he would not pursue her and force her to do it. What she had said was in fact true, she had been working everyday for months now and she had truly excelled, far more and faster than he anticipated. Although she could be a very stubborn one, this time he could not fight her on this one. He would allow her to do as she wished that day. Inside he was angry because his feelings for her were not going away, no matter what he tried. Erica was not a person he could easily dismiss. Everything about her was in fact entrancing him. This was very dangerous. If he didn't find a way to dismiss these feelings, something might happen. Something they both might not want.

Erica collapsed onto her bed and curled up a bit, just trying to let go of her anger towards him. What more could she do? Her heart was being incredibly stubborn and not wanting to give up on her feelings for Khan, but if he was pushing her aside so deliberately and not telling her anything, then what was the point of loving someone like that? She did not want to get hurt, and she did not want to be taken advantage of either and lose her strength. But this emotional battle going on between her heart which strove to keep her feelings for him alive, versus her brain which tried to reason with her and ignore such foolish feelings. It might not end for a very long time.

* * *

That night a fierce storm rolled through London. Erica had remained in her room for the day, not coming out at all. She barely felt any appetite so she didn't care about food. She had tried to fall asleep but for some reason she just couldn't. It wasn't the storm, that she didn't mind at all. No it was just something else which just would not let her sleep and it annoyed her. Sighing in frustration she got out of bed and walked out of her room in her white tank top and black shorts she wore as pajamas to go to the sitting room to watch the storm instead.

Erica stared out the window as the storm unleashed its unrelenting fury upon the city. Brilliant flashes of lighting raced across the sky as the rain poured down in sheets and the thunder roared loudly. Witnessing this natural phenomenon she thought about her father and how his murder and her desires for revenge had only begun to churn a violent storm within herself. With all of the training and preparations she knew it was only a matter of time when her tempestuous nature would unleash her own fury. The day that Admiral Marcus received what she knew he deserved for what he did to her and Khan would be a very dark day. Waiting for that much anticipated day only strengthened her longing for revenge.

"Can't sleep?"

She turned her head a little, a bit stunned that Khan was awake. "No. I'd rather watch the storm right now."

Her ears detected his advancing footsteps which stopped almost right behind her. A large flash of white light lit up the sky preceding the loud crack of thunder that followed. Erica never flinched at the suddenness or intensity of the sight.

"You're not afraid of them," Khan observed.

"No. Thunderstorms are brilliant displays of nature's fury, they make me feel...alive. Almost every one of my senses is heightened. I've never feared them, there are better things to be afraid of."

Feeling something upon her shoulder Erica turned her gaze from the storm outside to find Khan's fingertips slowly ghosting down her shoulder to her elbow. Her heartbeat quickened in pace, her mind raced wondering what he might be doing.

"What are you afraid of?" he whispered, his lips right at her ear.

Shivers crawled through her body at the sound of his voice. Her lips parted to say something, but her mind shut down and failed her completely. Next thing she knew he had gathered her long hair in his other hand and pulled on it enough to turn her head to look toward him. Her eyes widened a little, stunned by his action. Khan only looked back into her emerald orbs with that intense stare. Before she could say anything he quickly turned her body toward him and then pushed her back against the wall trapping her between it and him. Erica's chest rose and fell as her inhales and exhales passed across her parted lips. Her body trembled a little unsure what he was doing or planned to do next. Maintaining that unrelenting stare back into his eyes Erica felt one of his hands glide up the side of her waist before his face moved closer and down to her throat. A small gasp escaped her mouth when she felt his parted lips barely touching her neck but his hot breath sweeping over her skin.

"Are you afraid right now?" he asked.

Once more shivers moved throughout her body, her knees began to quiver a little. Her answer was only delayed by her brief concentration on the feeling of his other hand touching the other side of her neck and slowly gliding down her side to her hip.

"No," she replied.

Khan slowly drew his head back to look at her. "There are ways in which I could make you very afraid of me," he warned.

Erica swallowed a painful lump at the back of her throat. "I don't fear you."

"That could be very dangerous for you."

"Danger is far more enticing."

His face drew closer to her own once more, this time their lips were barely touching. Erica thought she might faint when he slowly brushed his lips along her own a few times. The hand that had stopped on her hip moved to the back of her thigh remaining idle for a few moments as he focused on her lips. Without any warning he raised her leg up over his hip before crushing his body against her own eliminating the few inches that had been there moments before. Erica gasped at the feeling of the contact between them, a gasp which turned into a moan when his hips began to slowly move against her own. Her hands had been resting on his chest the entire duration of his seduction, but she soon slid them to his shoulders, clutching to them when he brought his lips back to the side of her neck before he proceeded to bite down onto it. Erica moaned once more as she felt his tongue gliding over her skin as his teeth maintained their hold on her neck. His actions startled her yet they also excited her. Desire flowed through her, desperately wanting his seduction to lead to so much more.

"Khan..." she whispered.

He withdrew his teeth from her skin and slowly pulled his head back. Their eyes locked on each other once more, their faces centimeters apart. Khan no longer saw the evident shock in her eyes he saw before, it had been replaced with desire. While he may have been playing her emotions at first, as if trying to inspire some sort of fear in her, seeing this look in her eyes awoke something dormant within him. Something he had been fighting to allow to rise within him. Erica's eyes were displaying all of the longing in her heart...for him. It was his turn to feel stunned for a fleeting moment. Had she been feeling similar affections all along? She brought one of her hands to his cheek as they stared into each other's eyes. Finally he brought his lips down upon her own in a deep, aggressive kiss.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, this chapter was a bit troublesome because I wasn't sure how to formulate it at first. Hopefully it is becoming exciting now for all of you and was worth waiting for, and the next chapter should definitely be even more exciting too! Thank you to everyone who commented, I always appreciate your feedback! And thank you to everyone who favorited and followed my story! :) **


	9. Surrender

The moment Khan's eyes opened the next morning he knew he had made a mistake.

There beside him in his bed was Erica. His brain reminded him of everything which took place the previous night, the seduction, her desire dancing in her eyes, the aggressive kiss which led to him whisking her to his bedroom and making love to her. Khan had been dominant and aggressive with her, but Erica did not show any signs of being frightened by the way he acted, instead it just seemed to make her all the more aggressive as well. Like she wanted it as much as he did. The only time he had been more gentle was when he took her virginity. She had breathlessly confessed to him as he had undressed her that she had never slept with a man, something which made him hold back on the amount of passion he was giving her when they got to that part of their lovemaking. While he had desired her so much, he couldn't hurt her if this was her first time. So he had been gentle at first when he was inside her, but when she showed that the pain was no longer present...there was no stopping either of them. Erica was just as passionate as Khan had been, and it led to the most incredible resulting climax for them.

And now Erica's sleeping form was snuggled up against his side with one arm lovingly draped upon his chest, and his own arm was around her body and held her to him. Khan looked upon her as she slept. He would never deny that she was beautiful...in fact the most beautiful female he had ever seen, and he would never regret sleeping with her...but now the fact that they had shared such intimacy complicated everything. Just as he feared it would. Their relationship was strictly meant to be mentor/student and allies in their upcoming fight to get revenge on Admiral Marcus, not to become lovers.

Gently Khan lifted Erica's delicate arm and hand off his chest placing it down on the mattress and slowly slipped his arm out from around her body to keep her from waking. He simply had to leave the room as these overwhelming feelings invaded his mind and could not be dismissed, and Erica's beautiful form lying beside him just clouded his brilliant mind even more. Getting off the bed Khan slipped on his boxers and his black pants which had been lying on the floor along with all of the other clothing items which they had stripped from one another during their night of passion.

Leaving the room Khan tried to understand what was happening to him. His mind was so consumed with thoughts of Erica, not just from when they had slept together the night before, but everything. How she fought furiously when they trained together, her gradual progression as she improved her fighting style, her strong will which he never could break no matter what challenge he threw at her. Erica couldn't possibly be a mere human, even though everything about her was indeed human. Her genetic makeup proved it, but she was more determined and dedicated, strong and fierce, beautiful and bold. Everything about her was...attractive. Khan knew that he could not dismiss this, it was absolutely impossible for him to simply forget what happened between them or the feelings he felt for her. He lov-

Khan growled in a most feral manner. No. He couldn't feel that strongly for her. That was impossible. He couldn't possibly _love_ her, although she mattered very much to him and was a valuable part of his plan for revenge, never had he factored in how attached he could become to her. He had given in to desire, showed that he had a weakness. Against his better judgment he allowed himself to give in to the gorgeous temptress who now lay in his bed. He had taken her innocence, even if she never protested there was a strange feeling coming from his heart at the thought. Erica had willingly given herself to him, never fighting him, only submitting to him. Now he found his heart weighed down with..._love_? Khan wanted to only care about his crew, the people who were his family and were the dearest beings in the world to him. The people he most likely lost to Marcus. But...could it be that Erica could be his family now? If she loved him in return, they could possibly find-

At that Khan growled again and slammed his clenched fist against the wall, making a bit of a defect in it from the force of the blow. His breathing was heavier and he was furious about this, he didn't know how to fight these desires and feelings. It was a battle he was losing the more he fought.

Erica stirred a bit as she awoke from her deep slumber, never recalling having slept so well. As she stretched her arms a bit, her eyes fluttered open immediately realizing she was not in her bedroom. Opening her eyes more she found her nude body beneath a thin sheet, her sleepwear on the floor, and she was in Khan's bedroom. _Oh_... Now it came flooding back to her. All of the wonderful highlights of their lovemaking during the night following Khan's dominant seduction. Erica's heart fluttered at the memories of his touch and his kiss, the way he moved inside her, and she had no regrets. She knew that she loved him, and having shared such a beautiful night with him just solidified that for her. As she sat up a bit she saw Khan at the doorway, a small smile crept across her face.

"Morning," she said.

"You're rather behind on your exercises," he sternly told her.

Erica blinked, not expecting this. "What?"

His eyes were narrow, looking at her like a cobra ready to strike. "You should have completed your stretches and your morning run almost an hour ago. I guess you'll just have to train without all that," he snapped.

Her ears couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Khan...why are you acting this way? Last night you were-"

"We will not discuss what occurred last night, Erica," he hissed. "In fact, nothing occurred last night. You still will train as you have been and ready yourself to carry out our plans for revenge. I suggest you do so at once."

He then left the room, leaving Erica absolutely stunned and hurt. Was he saying that last night was a lie? That he only took advantage of her and now he could just throw her aside? No...no there had to be something else. Briskly she got out of the bed and slipped on her panties, shorts and tank top before storming out of the room to demand an explanation. She marched right over to Khan who stood in the sitting room.

"I told you to get on with your exercises, you're clearly not dressed for that," he told her.

Her eyes glared at him. "I will not do anything you tell me to, not until I have answers Khan," she snapped.

Khan's eyes looked back into her own, a terrible storm was gathering within them as his anger began to rise. "I gave you the one day off you said you would take, well you had better get back to your training, that's an order."

Her eyebrow rose. "Oh so you're ordering me around now? Well, you forget that I have a life too, Khan. I don't have to do everything you tell me to, you can't just push me aside and command me as you like. And I will not do any of my exercises until you tell me what the hell you mean that last night didn't happen."

Oh that stubborn nature of hers. He loved that side of her, and that was not helping right now. He was growing very irritated with her. "I would not act so strong if I were you, I could easily break you."

"But you were the one who made me who I am, the strong fighter you wanted me to be, so you would just be breaking that which you created."

Khan snarled a bit. "Erica, nothing has changed. Last night shouldn't have happened, we must remain as we were before. Do you understand?"

Erica swallowed a bit and shook her head. "No. You're saying that you willingly just seduced me and took my virginity just because you wanted to? I don't believe you're that cruel, not the way you made me feel last night. Khan, I wanted you to make love to me, every single moment of passion we shared last night I wanted. And I now know without a doubt that I love-"

Khan glared at her and raised his index finger to warn her from saying anymore. "_Don't!_ Don't you _dare_ say another word!"

"I will!" she snapped. "Are you saying that you regret everything we did last night? Did I really do something that wrong?"

He turned away after he heard that. "No! I...I don't regret it, but this...this cannot be! Why won't you understand that?"

Erica could see that he was struggling with this. Maybe he never expected to love her or for her to love him. She stood her ground, unwilling to believe that he didn't care about her or what they did the night before.

"I refuse to understand because you're wrong. Last night did change something, it brought us together in the most passionate way, and I will never let go of the memories of what we shared. Khan, I love you. I have felt this way for a very long time, and I am not going to let you push me aside again just because you can't accept it. You think that loving me will be dangerous because of what we must do, but isn't love worth fighting for as well? You can try and break me as you said, but no matter what you do, it will never change what I feel for you. I _want_ to be with you, I _want _ to fight by your side when we seek out our revenge, and most of all, I _want _to love you and you alone."

Khan's muscles tightened as he thought furiously as to how to respond to her. She was trying his patience, she was not giving in to his commands, fighting him with her words. Erica's defiance made him want to scream, to use physical force, to lash out some way. All because of this human he had taken and changed into a true fighter and had slept with. Now here he was trying not to fail again, he was strong and never would go down without a fight, but she was making him break. His pale-green eyes glared back at her emerald ones, which only stared right back at his own and showing no signs of relenting. Oh this woman...she was indeed strong. Erica was stubborn, physically and intellectually strong, beautiful, possessed strong will...and he couldn't help himself any longer.

A growl escaped from his throat as he walked towards her with long, fast strides. Erica felt a bit alarmed at this, wondering if he was going to hurt her for this. As always, she was prepared. Always keeping her switchblade nearby, she snatched it from the counter beside her and whipped it out just as Khan stepped about a foot away from her. Her blade was right at his throat, threatening to hurt him if he tried anything mal-intended with her. Those emerald eyes of hers displayed intense focus, watching his every move even though her action brought him to a standstill. He froze in place staring back at her. Somehow he knew she would respond this way, and the fact that she did, was somehow making her all the more intriguing to him. Erica was not weak, she was so strong. Feeling that cold metal blade at his throat he swallowed slowly before speaking.

"Are you going to use that on me?" he questioned.

"That depends. Are you going to hurt me?"

His eyes looked upon her with a softened gaze. "No."

Erica watched his features waiting for any sign of deception, but none came. Finally she withdrew the blade from his throat. Without even looking she threw the blade, sending it flying toward the wall where it stuck. Now she left herself defenseless. It was his move now.

Khan wasted no more time. He grabbed Erica, keeping her in his strong embrace as he brought his lips down upon her own in a violently passionate manner. Erica immediately responded with a kiss of her own. Soon they were clinging to one another and exchanging passionate kisses. Soon Khan broke away, taking her by the wrist and pulling her towards his bedroom. But he barely needed to pull her, Erica willingly followed, for the spark of passion within her had quickly become a flame and growing more and more. She wanted him, as much as he seemed to want her.

When they were finally in his room, Khan pulled her back into his strong arms, crushing her to his chest and continuing what they had begun in the other room. Soon the two lovers collapsed onto the bed, Erica found herself beneath Khan's handsome body as they continued to kiss with such fervor, his arms held her in place like vice grips and giving her no chance to slip away from him, not that she wanted to as her own arms were tightly embracing him in return. Their lips hungrily kissed over and over, locking in deep kisses and pouring so much emotion into each one. If there was lust factoring in, it was nothing in comparison to the immense amount of love they both felt for one another. Nothing about what they felt for the other was shallow, they were binding on every possible level. Physically, emotionally and intellectually. They were in love with the other for everything that they were.

Khan's hands roamed all over Erica's body, taking in everything within his touch, loving every single inch of her. How could he have denied her? He was a fool. Now here he was drowning in the passion they were exchanging together. Soon he began to pull off her tank top, which Erica squirmed a bit to get out of desiring to feel their skin touching again. The second it had been cast aside, Erica threw her arms around the back of his neck and brought their bare torsos together, shivers of pleasure ran down her spine at the feel of the contact of their skin. Even Khan hissed at the feel of their hot skin coming together.

On and on they kissed passionately, so much so that their lips were nearly swollen from the intensity. Erica felt Khan's hands wander once more over her torso, soon gliding over her full breasts and groping them in a way which made her moan into the kisses they shared. Her own hands held tightly to his back and shoulders, sometimes allowing her nails to dig into his skin. Khan's face lowered to her breasts which he immediately began to tease with his tongue and kiss and feast upon, slowly driving her mad with desire. Her moans and sighs only added to his own desire for her, her sounds were music to his ears. His lips soon trailed up her chest toward her neck where he placed one kiss before his lips pulled back to expose his teeth before he bit down on her neck possessively. Erica shuddered and a small shriek which turned into a moan came from her mouth, the initial shock faded quickly as he suckled on her neck and it actually felt very good. She absolutely loved his dominant nature, her hands weaved into his dark hair as he continued. While Erica was a strong woman and would normally never submit, submitting to Khan was absolutely wonderful and she willingly did.

Releasing her neck, Khan then rose above her and grabbed the waistbands of her shorts and panties and slipped them off her legs before casting those articles aside before he rid himself of his pants and boxers before returning to the bed and kissing her again. Erica desired him so much, wanting to experience the sensation of him inside her. As if he knew what was going through her mind, Khan's hands went to her hips and he entered her. Erica moaned with pleasure as she felt the sensation of him filling her so wonderfully, which soon turned into the overwhelmingly good feeling of him thrusting into her.

While she loved how he could dominate her, Erica was not about to just let him have all the fun. She flipped them over and began to take command as she rode him, her eyes were suddenly ablaze with an intense emerald wildfire as they gazed down into Khan's own eyes. Khan growled in pleasure as she did this, his hands gripped her hips tightly as his own continued to thrust into her, meeting her movements and adding to the intensity. He was nearly losing his mind, completely immersed in the pleasure they were experiencing together. Having her in control was actually a turn on for him, she was showing how she could be strong and be the one who was dominant. While he could still overpower her easily, right now he was enjoying himself and all of the incredible feelings only she could give him.

Erica was experiencing a sort of high that she never felt before. Making love to Khan was even better than the thrill of combat and fighting. She never wanted to stop loving him this way, heck she didn't want to stop loving him period. As they continued she suddenly began to feel her climax approaching at a much more rapid pace. She moaned Khan's name in a way which told him that she was about ready to fall over the edge. Khan wrapped his arms tightly around her and flipped them over as he thrust into her faster and harder, bringing them both closer to their climaxes. Khan gripped her tightly to him as her own arms held him in a snug embrace, their hips still moving together in a perfect rhythm. He buried his face in her neck as his pace increased once more, which was when Erica shrieked and shuddered beneath him as her climax finally overtook her. Khan continued his thrusts as she climaxed but within moments he too felt his own and moaned when he felt that final release.

The lovers clutched one another as they rode out these intense waves of pleasure, it was even better than what they experienced the night before. They were bound now in every way and it was perfect.

"Erica, my love," he whispered.

Erica's lips turned into a small smile when she heard him say that. "Yes?"

He nuzzled her neck. "You're so...unbelievably perfect in every way."

"You make me feel that way," she told him as she stroked his hair.

"You belong to me now," he said in a possessive manner. "My Erica...My raven," he murmured against her neck.

Erica raised an eyebrow at the second thing he said, not completely understanding what that meant.

"What?"

Khan's head rose and looked into her eyes. "I called you 'my raven'. You have become a fierce fighter, my dear and you will be a force to be reckoned with when we carry out my plan for revenge. As your last name is 'Ravencroft' , part of which contains the name of the bird, I want you to embody what it symbolizes. You will bring death and misfortune to our enemies, and I know you will not fail."

Hearing this Erica's lips slowly curled into a devious smile, absolutely loving this. It was a rather interesting mindset for her, when she fought any enemies they came across she would be like the raven and ferociously take them down before they could strike. Oh she liked this very much.

"I see. And you're right, I will not fail. We will succeed, Khan. But you still have yet to tell me what my important role is in your brilliant plan."

"And you will find out, later. Right now, I want you."

Erica smirked. "But you already have me."

Khan smirked in return. "Yes, but I still desire you and intend to make you mine."

With that, Khan brought his lips down upon her own once more and Erica all too willingly surrendered to him all over again.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry again for the delay, I finally finished my other fanfiction story I was writing so now I should have more time and energy to work on this story. I hope it was worth the wait for this latest update! I want to thank everyone who commented on this story, I really appreciate the feedback, and thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story as well, it means a lot to me! :)**


	10. Revealing the Plans

After they had finally revealed their secret desires and feelings for one another, things changed for the better. Khan no longer kept to himself, brushing Erica aside and forcing her to continue her training by herself. Instead he began actively working with her once more, helping her to perfect her combat skills, although she was absolutely excelling at them. Khan was indeed impressed with her, and it made him love her all the more. For a human, she was strong both in mind and body and she always found a way to amaze him. Moreover she did not allow their love affair to blind her, keeping her mind on things other than what they both were getting themselves prepared for. Unlike so many females who were delicate, Erica showed she was nothing like that. Instead of complaining that she was in pain, or being melodramatic about him being too harsh with her, she worked through all of that without any complaint. She was a fighter, and the day that she used those skills on an opponent...there was no telling what she would be capable of. Khan had taken her when she was already a fierce fighter, but helped her to become a true force to be reckoned with. She was not even reaching her full potential when he met her, now she was exceeding what he thought she would.

Erica felt that not only was her physique and her fighting abilities better than ever, but her focus and confidence were both vastly improved. Thanks to Khan's rule that she had to train without any form of distraction, like music, she was much more focused on what she was doing, what Khan would do when they trained together. She almost felt as if her senses were much more heightened, helping her to anticipate and react better when it came to being in a fight. What also helped was that new little mind trick Khan gave her with that nickname he gave her. Raven. He wanted her to fight, to kill her enemies, bring them the misfortune she could provide. It really sank in for her and she took this to heart.

Finally an evening came when Khan decided that it was time that Erica should learn the details of his plan for their revenge. For a long time now he had kept her in the dark about it, even what her involvement was and the reasoning for her need for such rigorous training. She had wanted to know it all for so long, now he was ready to tell her. Taking her by the hand, he led her towards the sofa to discuss the plans with her.

"Come now, Erica. It's time for us to discuss the plan I have made for us."

Erica turned toward him, absolutely stunned but excited to finally hear what he wanted to do for their revenge. "Alright."

Sitting down next to him, her emerald eyes kept eye contact with his own, eager to hear all of the details of the plan. For months now she had been preparing for what would likely be a large fight, and it would all come down to finally getting revenge on Admiral Marcus, the man who had wronged them both in such a cruel manner. A total of seventy-three beings, all of Khan's crew and her father, were now gone because of this horrible man. She certainly looked forward to whatever it was that Khan had in store for them.

"Erica, first of all I must say that your skills in combat have excelled far beyond what I ever thought they would be. You have done exceptionally well and I know that it will only serve us both well when we carry out our revenge."

She smiled a little. "Sounds like there will be quite a fight the way you've been training me."

His smirk seemed to darken a bit. "Indeed there will. Now tell me, my dear, surely you will be able to answer my next question having been a former Starfleet officer and the daughter of a Starfleet captain. In the event of an attack on the federation, what is the protocol?"

Erica thought that question over for a few moments before answering. "It mandates that senior command gathers captains and first officers at Starfleet Headquarters in a specific conference room."

"Very good," he replied.

"But why do you ask me that?" she asked.

Khan's pale-green eyes seemed to grow darker as he looked back at her. "I think you can figure out why I asked that."

Erica wanted to say no, but suddenly she realized why he had asked her. He was obviously testing her intelligence. As she considered all of this, the pieces began falling into place as she created an idea in her mind as to what they would be doing. This was going to be more than just a fight.

"You...you plan to carry out an attack, one large enough to get the attention of Starfleet and gather the officers at Headquarters. And it is at that point that I assume you intend for us to strike, as Marcus would be among those in attendance."

His smirk evolved into a very dark grin. "Excellent."

"But what sort of attack?"

"The attack will be my work. I have a plan in place to bomb the Starfleet data archive here in London, reducing that entire building to nothing but rubble."

Erica swallowed a bit. Never had she ever been part of such a plan, nor had she really thought about the victims of what they would be carrying out. Now hearing about him desiring to blow up the archive, that made almost no sense to her.

"Wait, why the archive?"

"There's more to it than just an archive," he explained. "There is a top secret part of Starfleet located within that building, what is known as Section 31. It is a section which is working on defense technology, the same kind which you and I were working on together in San Francisco. Marcus had me working there for a time, but then had me transferred likely to keep a closer eye on me and to also have you working closely with me. Our designs and plans were submitted to this section of Starfleet, so you were working in this division without knowing it."

Erica thought back to the night when she had overheard the argument between Marcus and her father, the one which led to his death. He had somehow found out the truth behind the kinds of weapons and starships which she and Khan had been instructed to create. Maybe he had found out about this Section 31 as well. So many secrets had been kept, now they had been exposed, light finally being shown on them and showing Erica everything for what it truly was. And she didn't like it.

"Okay...so after the bombing, what then? Where do I factor in?" she asked.

Khan's fingers slowly curled around her hand, holding it in a firm grip. "You will not be in London when the archive is attacked."

Erica's brow slightly furrowed, unsure as to what he was saying.

"You are going to travel ahead to San Francisco the day before I plan to have the attack occur, you will be waiting in a hotel room which I have already arranged for you to have. After the attack is over, I will come for you. From there, we will head over to Starfleet Headquarters to begin our true attack."

She felt a bit nervous about that thought. Being alone for about twenty-four hours not knowing if Khan would get through the bombing safely or not (but still knowing in her heart that he would), that sounded like torture.

"When the Starfleet officers meet for their conference in wake of the attack, that is when I will need your help. You will enter the building and make your way up to that room. I will be commandeering a ship from which I will begin the attack on the officers present. As for you, I need you to use everything I taught you to take out any of the officers who manage to escape my attacks, and I will need you to make sure that any security officers they call, which they will indeed call for, do not shoot me down."

"You want me to be in a firefight, slaying captains, officers and personnel, while you're shooting at them. What guarantee do you have that you won't shoot me?" she asked, and it was a valid concern.

Khan's grip tightened slightly. "I assure you, I will know where you are and I won't shoot you. Wherever you are in the room, I will work to shoot officers in a different area. But I promise you, Erica, I will not harm you in this fight."

Erica wanted to believe that. Khan had always made sure that she was safe, she would have to take his word for it. After all, he was her lover and he was very protective of her now since they had grown so close to one another and slept together.

"And what if something goes wrong? Or how do we escape?"

"I have a portable trans-warp beaming device. It will transport us far away from the scene, somewhere they cannot follow us. Well, they can try but if they dare to, it would be very dangerous for them," he replied. "Kronos."

Erica's eyes widened almost beyond their capacity. "Kronos? As in the Klingon planet? Khan are you insane?" she nearly snapped.

Khan held up his free hand to stop her. "Relax, my dear. There is an uninhabited area where I intend for us to hide. I have considered every possible option for us, but if any Klingon were to encounter us, there is no way they would get away. Not when you and I are a force to be reckoned with. You know that I would never allow anything to happen to you, no one will ever lay a hand on you."

The more he spoke of this plan, the more uneasy she felt. Erica finally had to stand, slipping her hand out from his own and walking over to the window which displayed the beautiful London cityscape. This was more than she thought their plan for revenge would be. So many things could go wrong.

"You're not having second thoughts are you?" Khan demanded.

Erica allowed a long exhale to escape her lips. "No. It's just so much to take in. I think I would have preferred knowing more sooner."

Moments later she felt Khan's large, strong hands gently taking hold of her shoulders. His hot breath hit the skin of her neck before she felt his lips brush along the area where her neck met her shoulder. A small shiver ran down her spine when he did this. Khan's hands glided over her as his arms encircled her in his strong embrace, like a python tightening around its prey, only Khan was not intending to harm her. Her back met his chest, taking away any space between them.

"This is what you have been training for, my love," he murmured, his lips at her ear. "We will not fail, and you will show how strong of a fighter you have become. You will be my raven, striking down every single one of our enemies in that room. You cannot think of them as your former superiors, friends, and colleagues. It's just you and me now. The Erica Ravencroft who belonged to Starfleet no longer exists, only the strong fighter you are now does. The one who belongs at my side."

Erica's eyelids closed as he spoke, his voice so hypnotic. What he told her was true, the life she once had no longer existed, Marcus had taken that from her. Khan was her present and future. She could never leave him, not after everything that had happened.

"And speaking of fighting, I have something for you," he said before removing his arms and turning toward a rectangular box which he opened.

Inside were two knives, very ornate and identical. Erica gasped when she saw how beautiful they were.

"I know that your preferred weapon is a dagger. You showed skill in dual wielding knives as I understand. These are for you to use when we attack."

Erica took one of them out. Everything about these knives was perfect, the weight, the grip, the length of the steel blade, they were the perfect weapons. Indeed dual knives were her favorite weapon, they allowed her to be more stealthy, she could be far more aggressive, and she could show just how much of a fighter she was.

"These are truly weapons of a warrior, they are absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Khan. I will use them well," she said smiling back at him.

Within that smile, Khan could see that he had chased away her nerves and doubts. Erica was much more confident and willing to take on their plan of revenge. He smiled back at her as he placed a hand on her cheek.

"I know you will, Erica. Soon we will have our revenge," he said before leaning in and kissing her.

That kiss sealed their fates, their future now in the hands of destiny. Hopefully it would be on their sides on the night they intended to strike.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Hope this update was an enjoyable one! Of course the next update will be filled with more action when Erica and Khan move to seek their revenge, but will Erica be able to remain calm and be the relentless fighter she has now been trained to be? Stay tuned. Thank you to everyone who commented, I really love getting feedback from all of you! And thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this story, I really appreciate it!**


	11. Revenge

Waiting.

Waiting was like the cruelest form of torture.

Erica was now in San Francisco, the place where she had been born and raised and where she nearly died months before. She wasn't sure how she would feel about returning here, especially if she was supposedly being looked for by Admiral Marcus and she would be staying alone at the hotel. Ever since her father's murder, Khan had been by her side the entire time. Now here she was in her hotel room all alone while Khan had stayed behind in London to carry out his plans for the bombing of the Kelvin Memorial Archive. There had been no issue getting from London to California, nor was there any issue checking in under the fake name Khan had established for her when he reserved everything. The only issue she had was what was going on within her mind and heart.

Being away from her lover was horrible. She had become so used to being with Khan almost at all times, now to be alone and having to survive without him for a little over twenty-four hours was a bit strange. While she was absolutely capable of doing it, she couldn't help but feel an immense amount of nervousness for Khan. He was planning to level an entire building in order to initiate the beginning stages of their plan for revenge. Things could easily go wrong, and she did not want to be alone in this world without him, no matter how strong she had become thanks to him. Her heart had accepted Khan and never wanted to let go of her feelings for him. For years she had been unwilling to surrender her heart to any man, although there were plenty who had been interested in her. For all the wrong reasons. Khan never pursued her and he loved her for all she was, even her strong independent side, which other men ignored. He also offered her more than anyone else ever had, he trained her to be stronger, he had saved her life, and if they survived this whole ordeal they would be able to remain together.

Instead of curling up in a ball and becoming a sobbing mess the entire time, Erica spent her time wisely by doing her exercises and trying to keep her mind off of it all. Khan would want her to keep her mind focused on what they would have to do. Even though there was a very strong bolt and chain on the door to the room, she took no chances when it came to her safety. Erica had taken the two daggers which Khan had given her when she went to California and left one of them concealed by the side of the bed where she slept, keeping herself armed incase of an intruder. At this point she could trust no one except Khan.

The first day and night were just fine and she managed to get all the sleep she needed. In the morning she had breakfast before returning to her room and working on her exercises. That night was the long awaited night when she and Khan would be making their attack at Starfleet Headquarters. At that point it was still nighttime in London, and he intended for the bombing to occur in the morning. There were plenty of hours to wait before word would inevitably get out and spread. And for those hours she would have no contact with Khan, wanting to keep anyone from tracing them as much as possible.

Hours passed, edging toward the late afternoon/evening hours in San Francisco. As Erica was finishing up her exercises and was just relaxing, news finally broke on the television about the bombing. She watched as the footage was played, showing what was seen of the bombing and the aftermath. For a split second shock ran through her bloodstream, amazed at how large it had been. Khan had made good on his word that it would be a very big event, and this would absolutely get the attention of Starfleet.

It had begun.

Finally she shut the television off and began getting dressed in her black pants, knee high black boots, black tank top and black leather jacket which hugged her torso perfectly. Khan had told her that he would meet her at a specific location prior to the attack on Starfleet where he would give her last minute instructions. Erica was aware that she would have to enter Headquarters on her own, so she wanted to look a bit unrecognizable even though there were very few people who probably would especially since she had been in hiding for months. Erica had purchased a few makeup items before going to the hotel when she arrived, eyeliner and a couple other things. Never had she worn makeup when she was working for Starfleet, then again she was a pretty flawless beauty who never really needed to wear it. But this time she wanted to try and blend in with other women who did. No one would ever suspect that she would wear makeup. She applied the black eyeliner and a smoky grey eyeshadow. It was very weird seeing herself this way when she looked in the mirror, but hopefully it would throw people off. And since she knew she would be fighting, she braided her long brunette hair before twisting it all into a bun and pinning it into place, not wanting her hair to be a distraction.

When she was ready she checked out of the hotel and began walking towards the address where she and Khan planned to rendezvous. She knew the streets of San Francisco very well, so getting to this place he wanted them to meet was not an issue for her. As she recalled it was an abandoned warehouse not far from Starfleet Headquarters, perfect place for them to meet up. Erica carried her duffel bag, inside which were her two daggers which Khan gave her, as of that moment she was only armed with her switchblade incase anyone tried to harm her. Soon she would be properly armed for what they would be doing.

Upon arriving at the location, the area was indeed abandoned. Dark shadows crawled up the walls and across the floor as she walked inside. It was eerily silent, despite the fact that she was in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the state. All of the sounds of traffic had been left outside when the door closed behind her. Faintly the sounds of her heels hitting the concrete floor emitted through the silence as she walked further into the building, her keen eyes searching through the shadows for her lover. Erica had arrived right at the exact moment they had agreed upon, knowing how Khan preferred to be punctual. When she was in the center of the warehouse, Erica stopped but still looked through her surroundings for him.

"Khan," she called softly.

No response. Erica listened carefully, her eyes still looking around her, looking for any sign of him being there. Without warning, she felt a warm breath flow across her neck causing her to freeze in place. The second that a hand touched her right shoulder, her left hand dropped her duffel and sprang towards her right shoulder grabbing the wrist of the hand which touched her, holding it in a tight grip as she spun around to face whomever it was. Although she had been sure that it was Khan, she could not assume it to be so and had to be sure. Turned out to be that her gut feeling was correct when she found herself facing her lover, her hand tightly gripping his wrist. In response Khan smiled.

"It is wonderful to see that you are prepared for tonight, my dear," he murmured.

Erica then realized that he had been intentionally doing this to test her, to see if she was really on her guard and ready for a fight. She had passed his test. Her lips curled into a smile as she released his wrist.

"It's so wonderful to see you again, Khan," she replied.

Khan raised his hand toward her cheek, his knuckles softly stroking her fair skin. His eyes looked deeply into her own.

"What have you done to your eyes?" he asked.

She smiled more. "You noticed. No one at Starfleet ever saw me wear makeup, I figured I might be able to throw everyone off by attempting to blend in a bit more with the other women there. You could also consider it my war paint, as we are going into a very big fight."

At her response his lips curled into a very pleased smile. Secretly he loved the way the dark makeup made her gorgeous emerald eyes seem to pop out a bit more, accentuating the color in a brilliant way.

"Well, aren't you the clever little raven. And a beautiful fighter you are, I know you will do exceptionally well tonight," he said before taking hold of her chin and leaning in and kissing her.

Erica sighed a bit into the kiss, having missed his kiss and his touch even though they had only been apart for a short period of time. She knew that she loved him and they were meant to be together, no other man could possibly have the same effect on her that Khan had. And no one could offer her more than what he had either.

"Now my darling, it's time for us to initiate the next phase of our plans," he declared.

She nodded. "I am ready, my love."

Khan took her hand and led her to another area of the warehouse where he had stored everything they needed for that fateful night. He presented her with a Starfleet uniform for her to wear as she entered the headquarters building, adding to her attempt to blend in. He also gave her two phasers for her to use at range if necessary and a specially designed belt for her to hold them along with those daggers she already had. Finally he gave her a small earpiece which hooked over the shell of her ear in a way which it would be perfectly concealed. Through this device he could give her any commands, telling her when to enter the fight, and when she should move to another side of the room, and when she should prepare for them to be transported from Starfleet and Earth to Kronos. Erica appreciated this piece in particular, knowing she would be in a fight with so many phasers and guns going off and he would be able to further ensure her safety, even though she was confident that she would be able to manage. It showed how much he cared about her.

"Alright, now is the part when I must ask you to head on over to Starfleet. Their meeting will be commencing soon and I want you to be there and ready for when I begin the attack. I will tell you when it is safe to enter the room and begin your assault."

Erica nodded before she threw her arms around Khan and kissed him deeply. "Please be careful."

Khan smiled against her lips as he embraced her in return. "Fret not, Erica. I will be fine, just take care of yourself. We will succeed."

Nodding once more, reluctantly she slipped out of his embrace and he left her standing in the limited amount of light coming through the windows of the warehouse as he retreated into the darkness once more. Erica quickly changed into the uniform which Khan had given her so she could get inside without drawing any attention to herself. She intended to get to the floor right beneath the conference room and change back into her other outfit in the women's restroom before getting to the room in time for the attack. She would not take long.

When she was ready, Erica left the warehouse and began making her way to Starfleet Headquarters. Being back on the premises was a very strange thing, here she was a former Starfleet member who now was about to commit an act of treason to the federation which she and her father once served. But she didn't care. The closer she got to the building the more her blood began to boil at the thought that Admiral Marcus would be in the very room where she was heading to. The bastard was so close, and she and Khan would be ensuring that he would die for the crimes he had committed. Khan's crew and her father would be avenged that night.

Stepping inside the familiar building, Erica passed all of the other officers and members of the federation with ease. Her eyes never strayed around her, they remained straight forward and focused on getting to where she needed to get to. No one called out her name or seemed to recognize her. Good. It was as if she was more of a ghost slipping through all of the people she passed. Getting on the elevator by herself she rode it to the floor which was right below the conference room. Once she arrived she immediately walked down the hallway into the restroom and quickly slipping on her leather jacket, a pair of leather gloves and the belt and her weapons Khan had given her. Stuffing the uniform in her duffel, she glanced in the mirror once. The look on her face spoke of anger and fury, exactly what she felt at that time. Something very dark within her was just waiting, begging to be unleashed and to bring down every single one of the people who would be in that conference room, especially Marcus.

Erica left the restroom and made way for the staircase leading up to the next floor, avoiding the elevator completely. When she was on that floor, Erica cautiously walked to the room where she heard a familiar voice speaking, one which made her blood boil more so. Marcus. The meeting was already underway. As she approached, ensuring that no one else was around to see her, Erica listened to what he was saying and waiting patiently for Khan to say something through that earpiece she wore. Marcus was telling everyone present about 'John Harrison', which made Erica's eyes narrow. Oh how well he spun his lies, like a deadly, cunning spider within his web. Her concealed hands gently took hold of the handles of her two daggers as she hid behind a wall and continued to listen and wait.

Soon Marcus' voice was replaced by another one which she recognized, one which sent awful shivers down her spine because this man irritated her so. James Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. She knew of his reputation, a reckless man who also was quite well known with several women in Starfleet. Erica once had been approached by Kirk, an encounter which she rolled her eyes at the thought of. Unlike some girls who were easily swooned by him, Erica had none of that nonsense. No she had made him retreat with quite a stunned, somewhat intimidated look on his face after what she had done in response to his advance. Listening Erica noticed how Kirk questioned why 'Harrison' would have blown up the archive and his idea that it was only the beginning. Erica found it amusing that he was actually intelligent enough to notice that, and how right he was that the archive was only the beginning. He too would soon realize the truth in those words he said.

_Prepare yourself, Erica. _

Hearing Khan's unmistakable deep voice traveling through her ear and registering in her mind, she no longer listened to the conversation in the room. With her blades in hand, Erica exhaled once and waited for him to begin the attack and for his command for her to join the fight. Soon she noticed a red light come down and into the room, a loud buzzing noise from outside. Erica smiled to herself as she knew that Khan had arrived in the jumpship he had commandeered, also evident by how silent everyone in the room had become. Just as Kirk had called out for everyone to get out of the room, an explosion of glass and gunfire erupted. For a few moments Erica listened as Khan continued to shoot into the room, taking down any officers he could. She never flinched at the loud sounds of gunfire.

_Your turn my raven, and ensure those security officers are taken down as well._

Gripping her blades tightly Erica exhaled one last time before she leapt from her hiding spot and ran into the room. Her emerald eyes immediately focused on a few security officers who had entered the room and began shooting at Khan's ship. Like a fierce predator she sprinted toward them, pouncing upon them and slaying them with fatal lacerations. From there, Erica turned her attention to the rest of the room, her keen eyes quickly identifying which officers were already down and which ones were trying to get away as Khan continued to fire upon them.

Erica immediately sprang into action and went for the ones who were trying to escape, she could end the wounded officers later if necessary. In her mind, the attack seemed to pass slowly as if time itself had slowed down a little, while in reality her moves and attacks were incredibly swift. She could almost see every blast from the guns which Khan fired as they entered the room, allowing her to duck and avoid them as necessary even though he took careful aim as to not hit anywhere near where she was. Her heart was pounding as adrenaline pumped into her bloodstream, her pupils had dilated to their maximum capacity almost trying to extinguish the emerald fire blazing in her eyes. Never had she felt more alive or focused in a fight before. The fact that her senses were so heightened and she was so focused, it was a feeling unlike any other. Khan had indeed trained her well.

Vaulting onto the table and crossing it to the other side of the room, Erica set her sights on a few officers who were trying to get away and the two security members who were trying to shoot down Khan's ship. Her sharp blades slashed fatal wounds into the officers bodies, leaving them to bleed on the floor and suffer as they died. Erica then stabbed one of the security personnel in the back, twisting the blade to add to the pain and agony. The other tried to grab hold of Erica from behind where she stood, but quick as lightning she grabbed his arm, flipped him over her shoulder and onto the floor where he landed hard on his back. Ignoring his cry of pain, she plunged her dagger into his heart before yanking the blade back out again and moving to another part of the room to continue the attack.

Moments later after she had taken down more security personnel and officers, Erica heard an awful sound come from outside where Khan's ship was. It sounded like the engine had completely blown. Turning fast toward the window she saw smoke coming out from the back end of the ship. Her eyes widened at the sight as his ship began to spin and lose control. Something had indeed gone wrong.

_Get away from the fight, Erica. We're leaving._

Erica immediately ran out of the conference room into the hallway so Khan had a better ability to beam her away from where she stood as planned. She stopped suddenly when she noticed someone standing there near another broken window. Kirk. Her eyes met with his for a few moments, Kirk seemed to look at her questioningly as if trying to recognize her, clearly not understanding who she was, but the blood coated daggers in her hands made his eyes widen a bit as he began to understand that she was a part of this attack. Erica just glared back at him, one eerily close to the one Khan had given him just a moment before, as bright light began to swirl around her as she was transported away from the room and the carnage within it.

Seconds later Erica's eyes no longer recognized her surroundings. Before her lay a vast world seemingly in ruin. It was dark and very menacing in appearance. Swallowing a bit, she remembered what this place was. Kronos, the planet upon which the Klingons lived. Erica slipped her blades into the belt as she turned and found Khan there beside her. Everything had indeed gone according to plan, they were now far, far away from Earth and Starfleet, but she had a terrible feeling that it would not be that way for very long.

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**Hey everyone! For once I was able to manage getting this update done without having to make all of you wait nearly two weeks! I hope this chapter was a good one. Thank you to everyone who commented, I always love hearing your feedback! And thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this story, I really appreciate it! :) **


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